DETROIT (AP) — The milk from Indy 500 champion Marcus Ericsson's firesuit has dried, and the NTT IndyCar Series is in full swing. The reigning IndyCar champion claims are incorrectly thrown around in the rumour mill.

The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix is also the final race on Belle Isle, and the inaugural practice session was dominated by drivers who have been making news lately. The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix is also the final race on Belle Isle, and the inaugural practice session was dominated by drivers who have been making news lately.

The fastest lap on Friday's session, a 14-turn, 2.35-mile street course in Detroit, was completed in one minute, 16.1345 seconds by Kyle Kirkwood. Kirkwood was recently revealed as heading to Andretti Autosport next season.

While Kirkwood wants to finish well in his lone season for AJ, he has been aware of his impending departure for a while. Foyt Racing's No. 14 Dallara-Chevrolet.

Kirkwood, who won the Indy Lights championship with Andretti and claimed a GTD pole Friday as a late substitute driver in IMSA, said: "It's not something that's on my radar." "It doesn't change anything for me." It's been a while since we've done that.

"It's been the same thing for me." It's always the same goal. Eleven races remain. My concentration is still on A.J. Foyt Racing, as I want to win for the team because they fought so hard for it."

Pato O'Ward was second fastest in practice for Arrow McLaren SP, which formally presented new driver Alexander Rossi (whom Kirkwood would replace at Andretti) in a Friday news conference after being runner-up in the Indy 500.

Although Rossi and O'Ward will be teammates, it is unknown whether Felix Rosenqvist will stay as McLaren's third driver next year.

After practice, Helio Castroneves, who is also on a contract year, asked O'Ward: "Is Felix going to stay?"

"I sincerely hope he remains," O'Ward expressed his desire for him to stay.

Castroneves, who was ninth fastest in practice, said, "OK." "Is there no indication of who will be the third car?"

"I have no idea." "I'm powerless."

This summer, Rossi said that he would leave Andretti at the end of the season. Rossi was under contract with Andretti, but he joined McLaren early to help the team move to Kirkwood. Rossi is approaching the third anniversary of his last victory.

Rossi explained, "It was self-evident that I would look into other choices and see what was available."I've been a driver for Andretti Autosport for a long time. You may need to make adjustments on personal, professional, or both levels at times. It was most likely past time for a shift."

What about the third McLaren seat, which will be available in the coming year??

O'Ward presented a compelling argument for Rosenqvist, who is on a contract year and is still being reviewed by the squad. On Friday, he was wounded in a practice crash and finished fourth in the Indy 500.

Rosenqvist was unharmed despite spinning into a Turn 1 tyre barrier after missing two races due to a collision in Detroit last year.

Defending series champion Alex Palou has been most identified with the open Arrow McLaren SP ride. The Spaniard won the IndyCar championship in his first season with Ganassi – his second in the series – and has quickly established himself as a hot commodity in the paddock.

Palou was ecstatic to be a part of the rumour mill on Friday, but he has no idea why his fellow competitors believe he is leaving Ganassi for McLaren.

"I'm fine."I'm not in contact with any other teams." Palou stated. "I mean, my name is everywhere, but because someone is interested doesn't mean I'm interested."

No responsibilities: The ink on O'Ward's contract renewal with Arrow McLaren SP has only just dry, but he's already thinking big. He let off the throttle on the final lap of the Indy 500 as he pushed Ericsson for the win, and he still believed it was the right option on Friday.

O'Ward believes he would have wrecked if he couldn't complete the winning pass — an unforgivable result in a race worth double points.

"I made the correct decision 100 per cent of the time," O'Ward said on Friday. "I just don't think that attempting to be a hero there would pay off in terms of helping."

Others disagreed, with reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou believing he would have won the race anyway.

O'Ward, on the other hand, had the support of his team as Arrow McLaren took significant steps toward becoming one of IndyCar's premier teams with the inclusion of Rossi, the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner. McLaren plans to build a state-of-the-art Indianapolis plant as it prepares to expand to three vehicles next year. O'Ward has already signed a contract extension and is the company's cornerstone.

"I'm most proud of Pato's maturity in understanding who we are as a team," team president Taylor Kiel said. "With the big picture in mind, he made a wise decision beyond his years." I'm aware of his situation.

Mood: Scott Dixon had the Indy 500 to lose, and he did.

After dominating the entire build-up to the race, Dixon's chances of winning a second Indy 500 were shattered by a speeding penalty on pit road. He achieved a new pole-winning speed of almost 234 mph and led 95 of the 200 laps.

Dixon has made winning another Indy 500 his a priority, and his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Palou said the six-time IndyCar champion was "certainly devastated" after the race.

The New Zealander said he was alright on Friday.

"We're currently in Detroit," says the narrator. Dixon said, "I'm in a wonderful mood," He doesn't keep grudges for long. "I'm rather good at that." It's about how the rest of the world perceives me.