By Austin Lawton, Staff Writer
After a rain delay pushed back the original start time of 10 am ET, the first day of practice for the 109th Indianapolis 500 wraps up with Will Power at the top of the charts on a day where 1,549 laps were turned.
The 2018 “500” winner posted a speed of 227.026 mph in the No.12 Verizon Chevrolet with Team Penske teammate and winner of the last two “500”s, Josef Newgarden, in second at 226.971 mph, piloting the No.2 Shell livery. The Penske duo were the class of the field, with Newgarden three-tenths of a mile per hour faster than third place.
Following Newgarden and Power was series points leader Alex Palou in the No.10 DHL Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing at 226.673 mph, Scott Dixon, Palou’s teammate and sporting the PNC Bank colors, in fourth at 225.059 mph and the last Penske driver, Scott McLaughlin, in the yellow Pennzoil livery at 225.005 mph.
At the Open Test in April, it was Honda who reigned supreme and they showed that the pace was real as they took six-out-of-ten spots in the Top 10, two cars each from CGR, Meyer Shank Racing and Andretti Global. The only non-Penske Chevrolet in the Top 10 was Alexander Rossi in the No.20 Java House Chevy for Ed Carpenter Racing, at 224. 347 mph.
Speed is king at Indianapolis and an important measure of it are the no-tow charts. These charts are for speeds without the aid of a draft, or tow and are helpful in determining who may be fast when qualifying happens on Saturday and Sunday.
Kyle Kirkwood in the No. 27 Siemens Honda for Andretti Global topped the no-tow charts at 219.497 mph. Newgarden was in second at 219.149 mph and rookie Jacob Abel was in third at 218.884 mph
Abel, driving the No. 51 Miller High Life entry for Dale Coyne Racing would end up 28th overall at 220.983 mph.
As fans keep an eye on the speed charts, they will also keep an eye on NASCAR driver, Kyle Larson. Larson returns to attempt ‘The Double’ after last year’s attempt went awry, as Larson was not able to turn a lap in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Champion partners with Arrow McLaren, Hendrick Motorsports in the No.17 Chevy, once again to attempt the feat.
“Our day was good,” Larson said after practice. “Kind of took it easy to start in clean air, made sure our balance was comfortable, which it was, so was happy about that. Then, just there at the end kind of finally got in some traffic and as normal, kind of had some understeer. Just happy with the first day. It was a nice smooth day. Good place to start from.”
Larson experienced his first wreck in an IndyCar during the Open Test in April and drives the same car that hit the wall in the test, after the team made repairs over the last few weeks. Larson would round out today’s practice session 24th overall at 221.2017 mph and 13th on the no-tow charts at 217.752 mph.
Tomorrow’s on-track action starts at 10 a.m., when Arrow McLaren Team Principal, Tony Kanaan will participate in a refresher program. The program, originally scheduled for Monday, but pushed due to Tuesday, due to weather.
Kanaan will serve as the back-up driver if Larson is unable to start the race due to weather or unforseen circumstances. The 2013 ‘“500” winner will go through the standard phases: 30 laps total, 15 laps between 210-215 mph and 15 laps at 215+mph.
After Kanaan’s session, practice will be open for all cars from noon-6 pm and pit stop practice from 6-6:15 pm.
Thanks for the info Austin!