Indianapolis, IN – Two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden was back at the top of the speed charts during Thursday`s practice session. This marked the final opportunity for teams to practice before cars receive a horsepower boost on `Fast Friday,` which leads into the critical qualifying weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Newgarden had initially set the fastest pace among the 34 cars competing for a spot in the 33-car starting field on Tuesday but was overtaken by IndyCar champion Álex Palou on Wednesday. However, Newgarden reclaimed the lead on Thursday, completing only 35 laps with a best speed of 226.632 mph. This speed was significantly faster, more than a full mile per hour better, than Scott Dixon and the rest of the field.
“Lots of things can change,” commented Dixon, who is aiming to equal Rick Mears` record of six Indy 500 poles. “The Penske teams seem strong, there`s no doubt about that. They`re running some big laps. There can always be some kind of weird twist.”
Dixon, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, was the sole Honda-powered car among the top five on Thursday with a best lap of 225.457 mph. Conor Daly finished third, Pato O`Ward secured fourth place in a positive session for Arrow McLaren, and Ryan Hunter-Reay rounded out the top five.
“They`re two different beasts you`re trying to make go fast, to be fairly honest with you. Just because you have a good traffic car doesn`t mean you`ll have a good qualifying car, and vice versa,” O`Ward explained. “In traffic, I think we`ve gotten better, but there`s still a handful of other cars that I believe are a lot stronger than we are, so still work to do.”
Álex Palou was busy on track, completing 112 laps on Thursday, second only to Kyffin Simpson. His fastest lap registered at 223.456 mph.
Honda engine teams were scheduled to change engines late Thursday on all their full-time entries in preparation for the qualifying weekend.
This will be the second engine change for Scott Dixon, the 2008 Indy 500 champion. His initial engine was swapped Wednesday night, and Honda plans to send the removed unit back to California for inspection. Dixon will receive a penalty for this specific change at the next race in Detroit on June 1. Other Honda engine changes ahead of qualifying are permitted under Indy 500 rules.
“I guess we`ll see what tomorrow brings,” Dixon remarked regarding Fast Friday.
In contrast, Chevrolet-powered teams were not planning to change their engines until after qualifying is completed.
Christian Rasmussen, who finished eighth on the speed chart, had a frightening moment with just under two hours left in the six-hour practice. He spun coming out of Turn 2 directly in front of Kyle Larson. Fortunately, he only brushed the wall lightly with the rear wing of his Ed Carpenter Racing entry before managing to straighten the car down the backstretch.
“It`s what happens,” Rasmussen stated. “It`s obviously not where you want it to be, but I think we have fast cars around here, so it`s still a positive day. I have that out of the way and we move on.”
Kyle Larson, the NASCAR Cup Series star, is attempting “the Double,” planning to race both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte on the same day. Larson completed 61 laps in practice and reported feeling more comfortable in the car.
“We`re getting our car better,” he added. “There`s still some room to improve, but overall, a better Thursday than Wednesday.”
Dominic Ashworth