Benjamin Pedersen picked up right where he left off in recent testing at World Wide Technology Raceway, leading the opening practice session Friday for the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires race at the 1.25-mile oval.

Pedersen, from Denmark, was fastest at 160.662 mph in the No. 24 Global Racing Group with HMD car. That top lap came after Pedersen led both sessions of a test Aug. 12 at WWTR, with a best overall speed of 160.158 mph.

SEE: Practice Results

Championship leader Linus Lundqvist was second at 160.401 in the No. 26 HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing entry. Lundqvist leads second-place Hunter McElrea by 95 points in the standings with four races remaining this season.

Rookie Christian Rasmussen was third at 160.002 in the No. 28 Road to Indy/Stellrecht entry, followed by fellow rookie James Roe at 159.595 in the No. 11 HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing car. Roe was unhurt after he spun and made contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 in the closing seconds of the 50-minute session.

Danial Frost ensured HMD Motorsports placed four cars in the top five, ending up fifth at 159.363 in the No. 68 HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing car.

Qualifying is next at 6:15 p.m. ET today, with live coverage on INDYCAR Live! and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Saturday’s 75-lap Indy Lights at World Wide Technology Raceway race is set for 4:15 p.m. with coverage on Peacock Premium, INDYCAR Live! and the INDYCAR Radio Network.