Team Scott McLaughlin got the early jump on speed at Iowa Speedway as the Sukup INDYCAR Race Weekend opened following Friday’s inclement weather.

McLaughlin was joined in the top five of the morning practice by teammate Josef Newgarden as Roger Penske’s organization seeks its first race win of the season.

SEE: Practice Results

Today’s Synk 275 powered by Sukup (5 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network) will be the 11th race of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. The conditions have dramatically improved, with the morning offering temperatures in the low 70s with mostly clear skies.

McLaughlin’s best lap was 183.515 mph, besting that of Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel at 182.645 mph. Newgarden’s best lap of 182.319 mph ranked fifth.

Kyle Kirkwood had a difficult morning, hitting the outside wall with the right side of his car. The incident began as the Andretti Global driver went from the high lane to the low lane as he approached the car driven by David Malukas. Kirkwood appeared to get his left-side tires below the white line, which unsettled the car in Turn 4. He was a passenger from there.

“I don’t really know what happened there,” he said. “We were running fine up top and I was nearly flat (up there) and then I got in the wake of (Malukas). I went down low, which is the place that should have more grip, and it just did not. Maybe the track was just green down there. It got loose and it was like, ‘See you later.’

“Mistake on my part. Sorry to the team. It’s a compact day, and it’s not something that you want to see happen.”

Kirkwood’s crew had to work quickly as the schedule is condensed following Friday’s thunderstorms. Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award will be held at 1:30 p.m. on FS1. Each car will be permitted two timed laps, the first helping to set the starting lineup for today’s race. The second lap will do the same for the Farm to Finish 275 powered by Sukup on Sunday at 1 p.m. on the same broadcast outlets.

McLaughlin and Will Power won last year’s races at this .894-mile oval, while teammate Josef Newgarden has won a series-leading six races over the years.

Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward will be making the 100th series start of his career. In practice, he did a half-spin exiting pit road without contact.