Indy 500 Tests – Day 2: Palou Fastest in Race Configuration

Last year's Indy 500 pole-sitter, Scott McLaughlin, set the fastest time of the morning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in a session with the high boost level used during "Fast Friday" on May 16 and qualifying on May 17 and 18. His fastest lap was recorded at 232,686 mph (374,471 km/h) in the No. 3 Pennzoil Chevrolet for Team Penske, the fastest lap set in two days of testing at the 2,5-mile oval.

« We have a very good day, and even two good days, McLaughlin said. I feel like we've made a lot of progress with the hybrid. Then, the morning qualifying session – with the high boost – was a bit of a lottery. There were a few yellow flags. When the track improved, it was a bit dirty because of a few off-track runs. And everyone was trying to cram as many things as possible into 40 minutes. But overall, a very good balance of the car to kick off the month of May. »

Three-time reigning champion of theIndyCar Alex Palou dominated the afternoon session, with power reduced to the level used on race day for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 25. The current championship leader, Palou lapped the No. 223,993 DHL Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing.

« You always have to keep looking and trying to improve, explained Palou. Trying to make the car more comfortable in traffic, and faster solo. It's this kind of car that gives me a real chance of winning, that's for sure. » Two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato set the second fastest lap of the morning at 232,565 mph (374,277 km/h) in the No. 75 AMADA Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. It was also the fastest lap of practice without the benefit of another car's slipstream.

The Japanese driver didn't have all the best in these tests. After only eight laps in the morning – his best time being on the third lap – he lost control of his car. It violently hit the wall at Turn 1, before coming to a stop in Turn 2, badly damaged.

VIDEO - Takuma Sato's crash at the Indy 500 practice session

Sato, who won at Indy in 2017 and 2020, was uninjured, but seeing his car specifically prepared for the 500 in such a state was painful.I lost it; I simply lost it, Sato acknowledged. It's hard. My body's fine. It's just the car... I lost it. It's heartbreaking. »

2018 race winner Will Power finished third in the boosted session with 232,278 mph (373,815 km/h) in the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet of Team Penske, followed by Felix Rosenqvist (232,100 mph, or 373,528 km/h) in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing. Palou rounded out the top five with 5 mph (231,843 km/h).

With the exception of two cars, all 34 entries returned to the track in the afternoon in packs to simulate race conditions. Palou and Rosenqvist were the only ones to finish in the top five in both sessions, with Rosenqvist confirming his performance by finishing second in the afternoon with a best lap of 5 mph (223,366 km/h).

Long Beach winner Kyle Kirkwood placed third in the afternoon session with 223,362 mph (359,466 km/h) in the No. 27 Andretti Global Honda. Conor Daly was fourth at 223,298 mph (359,363 km/h) in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, while two-time Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden rounded out the top five with 5 mph (223,255 km/h) in the No. 359,294 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Team Penske Chevrolet.

Sato wasn't the only one to hit the wall on Thursday. 500 Indy 2024 rookie Kyle Larson also went out in the morning session, hitting the wall in Turn 1 in his No. 17 Hendrickcars.com Arrow Chevrolet. McLaren, before a second impact in turn 2. Champion NASCAR In the 2021 Cup Series, Larson was unharmed, but like Sato, he did not return to the track afterward. Larson plans to attempt a one-two punch on May 25: the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in NASCAR.

On Thursday, Chevrolet posted a significant rebound, with two of its drivers in the top five in each session. On Wednesday, nine of the ten fastest drivers were running Honda engines. Over the two days of testing, the 5 drivers completed 34 laps, or approximately 5 miles (804 km).

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