INDIANAPOLIS – Josef Newgarden, the two-time reigning champion of the Indianapolis 500, once again led the speed charts during Thursday`s practice session. This was the final practice before the power increase on `Fast Friday` leading into the qualifying weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Newgarden initially topped the speed charts among the 34 cars vying for a spot in the 33-car field when practice began on Tuesday. However, IndyCar champion Álex Palou claimed the fastest time on Wednesday. Newgarden reclaimed the top position on Thursday, completing only 35 laps but achieving a top speed of 226.632 mph, significantly faster than Scott Dixon and the rest of the competitors.
Scott Dixon, who is aiming to match Rick Mears` record of six Indy 500 poles, commented on the situation. “Many variables can come into play,” Dixon stated. “The Penske teams appear very strong, there`s no question about that. They are putting in some impressive lap times. However, there`s always the potential for unexpected developments.”
Dixon, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, was the only car powered by a Honda engine among the top five on Thursday, with a best lap of 225.457 mph. The other top positions were filled by Chevrolet-powered cars: Conor Daly in third, Pato O`Ward fourth (marking a strong day for Arrow McLaren), and Ryan Hunter-Reay in fifth.
Pato O`Ward explained the difference between race trim and qualifying trim. “You`re trying to optimize two distinct setups,” O`Ward said. “A car that performs well in traffic doesn`t necessarily translate to a strong qualifying car, and vice versa.” He added, “We`ve improved our performance in traffic, but I still feel several other cars are significantly stronger than ours, so there`s still work ahead.”
Álex Palou completed 112 laps on Thursday, second only to Kyffin Simpson. His fastest lap was recorded at 223.456 mph.
Honda teams were scheduled to change engines late on Thursday for all their full-time entries in preparation for the upcoming qualifying sessions this weekend.
This will be the second engine change for Scott Dixon, the 2008 Indy 500 champion. His first engine was replaced on Wednesday night and will be sent to Honda in California for inspection. Dixon will incur a penalty for this specific change at the subsequent race in Detroit on June 1st. Other Honda engine changes made according to Indy 500 regulations are permitted.
“We`ll just have to see how things unfold tomorrow,” Dixon commented.
In contrast, Chevrolet teams were not planning engine swaps until after the qualifying weekend.
Christian Rasmussen, who finished eighth on the speed chart, had a close call with less than two hours remaining in the six-hour practice. His car spun coming out of Turn 2 directly in front of Kyle Larson. Fortunately, Rasmussen only made light contact with the wall using the rear wing of his Ed Carpenter Racing car before regaining control on the backstretch.
Rasmussen downplayed the incident. “These things happen,” he said. “It`s certainly not ideal, but I believe we have competitive cars here, so it`s still a constructive day overall. That`s behind me now, and we can move forward.”
Kyle Larson, the prominent NASCAR Cup Series driver, is attempting “the Double” for the second time, aiming to compete in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte on the same day. Larson completed 61 laps during practice and reported feeling more at ease in the car.
Larson added, “We are making progress with the car setup. There`s still potential for further improvement, but overall, Thursday was a more positive day than Wednesday.”
Rupert Caldwell