The final on-track session before the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. was led Sunday morning by the most successful American driver in the field.

Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden, who also has won the Indianapolis 500 twice, was quickest at 57.6076 seconds in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet. It was the first time during this historic weekend of the first-ever motor race in the nation’s capital that a Chevrolet-powered driver has topped the time sheet.

SEE: Practice Results | Starting Lineup/Tire Choice

Newgarden, still recovering from a lower leg injury suffered in an Indy 500 crash in May, qualified a disappointing 16th for the 147-lap, 250-mile race (pre-race, 11:30 a.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls). But he will start 14th when the green flag drops shortly after 1 p.m. due to six-position penalties for unauthorized engine changes on the cars of Nolan Siegel and Marcus Ericsson, who qualified ahead of Newgarden.

NTT P1 Award winner Alex Palou was second at 57.6858 in the No. 10 OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou has been in the top two of all four sessions this weekend on the seven-turn, 1.7-mile circuit that winds around the National Mall and past many historic monuments and buildings in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol building.

David Malukas put two Team Penske drivers in the top three with his lap of 57.8364 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

Another driver who has been quick all weekend, Kyle Kirkwood, ended up fourth at 57.8768 in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda of Andretti Global. Kirkwood, who starts second, was in the top two of the three sessions Saturday preceding today’s warmup.

Ericsson, who won last Sunday in Markham, Ontario, rounded out the top five at 57.8009 in the No. 28 Acura Honda to put two Andretti Global drivers at the bottom end of the top five. Ericsson will need that extra speed, as the unauthorized engine change penalty drops him from 15th to 21st on the starting grid.

There were no incidents in the 30-minute session, as drivers are coming to grips with the bumpy, tricky circuit on some of the most famous streets in the nation. Crews worked overnight to grind some of the more treacherous bumps at the exit of Turn 1 and the entry of Turn 6.

An interesting strategic trend shaped up after the warmup session, as tire strategy figures to play a major role in the second-longest street race in INDYCAR SERIES history. The top six drivers on the starting grid will begin the race on the softer, grippier but less durable Firestone alternate tires. Drivers in spots seven through 11 will start on harder, more durable primary tires.