By Austin Lawton, Staff Writer
Thursday’s practice session for the 110th Indianapolis 500 was dominated by single-car qualifying runs, as teams prepare for two days of qualifications this weekend.
Overall, it was Pato O’Ward who was fastest on the day, with a lap of 227.308mph. The Mexican driver has seen his No.5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet up and down the charts so far during practice, and feels like the car is in the right window, at the right time.
“I think we’re definitely in a good — the starting point, I think, has been one of the best balances that I’ve had, at least with the first few qualifying sims we’ve done into a qualifying weekend,” O’Ward said. “I have had it in the past where it feels good on the low boost, but then you put the higher boost and things do change. We’ll see what we’ve got tomorrow. Hopefully it will be good enough to have our first run in a high boost in the window to just pepper it in a little bit. Yeah, so far it’s been good and smooth.”
The Meyer Shank Racing trio of Helio Castrovneves (226.977mph), Marcus Armstrong (226.841mph) and Felix Rosenqvist (226.626mph), followed O’Ward in second through fourth, respectively. Alexander Rossi (226.364mph) ended the day in fifth, after the No.20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet underwent an engine change late Wednesday evening.
SEE: Indianapolis 500 Practice Three Overall Results
Takuma Sato was the fastest on the no-tow charts, a good gauge as to who could be fast on single car speeds this weekend. The two-time “500” champion laid down a mark of 223.828mph at 4:01pm, with just under two hours left in the session. Sato would end up 17th overall on Thursday.
Following Sato was Scott McLaughlin who brought yet another fast Team Penske Pennzoil Chevrolet to Indianapolis. The No.3 car would fall just short of Sato, setting a lap of 223.738mph. Despite not having the added addition of the extra horsepower boost, McLaughlin still feels confident in an already fast race car.
“Overall, the Pennzoil Chevy feels pretty strong in race trim, and now qualifying trim,” McLaughlin said. “ Always a nervous sort of energy before you drop it in qualifying trim. We’ll find out again tomorrow when we turn up the boost. Overall, the Chevy power feels good and the car feels in a nice spot. We’ll see what we have come tomorrow.”
McLaughlin’s Team Penske teammate, David Malukas (223.391mph) was third fastest in single car running. Malukas, who is in his first season with Penske, continues to show that there is speed in his car, with a good shot at pole on Sunday.
“The power Chevy brought to the month of May is so nice and the balance on the Verizon Chevy has allowed me to use all of that strength in the engine. As far as single-car runs today, I don’t think it could have gone much better. We have shown plenty of speed and with a few minor tweaks, we can definitely be in position for the pole.”
Another driver who has shown consistent forms of speed this week is Alex Palou. Palou ended Thursday at fourth on the no-tow, laying down a lap of 223.230mph. Following Palou, was Rinus Veekay. The Dutchman put a 223.086mph lap down, good enough for fifth.
SEE: Indianapolis 500 Practice Three No-Tow Results
Looking ahead to Fast Friday, all 33 driver and car combinations will see an extra 100 horsepower boost added to the car. Throughout the week, teams have ran qualifying sims from the start of practice on Tuesday, but is it beneficial to run sims without the extra horsepower.
Castroneves, a four-time “500” champion and established veteran in his own right, commented on the matter in the post-practice press conference:
“Basically, you want to make sure the COP [Center of Pressure] that you have right now, comfortable at the track, it’s okay, and balance, ride height, all those things,” Castroneves said. “I know it changes when you add 10 miles an hour, but you want to have the sense that at least the car’s not doing anything strange on the course of four laps. I do believe Firestone made the tires a little more consistent this year. What I remember from last year to this year has already been quite good. So definitely the temperature makes a difference, and right now everyone really feels every car is really strong.
“Never say this is an easy place. This could be a little less difficult, but it’s always difficult. However, at the end of the day, yes, track temp is a big part of this setup and balance of the car. Whatever setup in those conditions, definitely we’ll be in good shape.”