Indy 500 Practice Summary: Power Tops Early Sessions Amid Weather Delays
The highly anticipated practice sessions for the Indianapolis 500 commenced after a lengthy rain delay, with drivers hitting the track around 2:30 PM EST. Despite the interruption caused by lightning, teams managed to complete approximately three hours of practice before an early suspension of activities.
During the session, Team Penske’s Will Power emerged as the fastest driver, clocking a lap at 227.026 mph on his 61st lap. He was closely followed by teammate Josef Newgarden at 226.971 mph, and championship leader Alex Palou from Chip Ganassi Racing finished third, achieving a speed of 226.673 mph.
Power commented on the day’s performance: "I think we’ve got a pretty good baseline… You’ve got to look for your weaknesses and improve."
Scott Dixon and Scott McLaughlin completed the top five, while the experienced Helio Castroneves and former champions Alexander Rossi, Marcus Armstrong, Marcus Ericsson, and Marco Andretti rounded out the top ten.
Challenges were faced by Prema Racing, with their cars struggling to find pace. Robert Shwartzman and Callum Ilott finished last in the standings at 33rd and 34th, respectively.
In terms of no-tow speeds, Kyle Kirkwood led with a lap time of 219.497 mph, followed by Newgarden and rookie Jacob Abel. Notably, Kyffin Simpson recorded the highest lap count of the day, completing 84 laps. Kyle Larson, fresh off a NASCAR Cup victory at Kansas, ran 45 laps, finishing 24th at 221.207 mph as he attempts to accomplish the challenging ‘Double’ of competing in both the Indy 500 and the Coke 600 on the same day.
The next session will feature Tony Kanaan’s veteran refresher test at 10 AM EST on Wednesday.
