Indy 500 Open Test — Day 2: Caio Collet fastest of the two days, Grosjean 11th

The second day of testing began 75 minutes late due to a wet track following overnight and morning rain, but the benchmark time was finally set early in the session. Caio Collet, driver of the No. 4 AJ Foyt Enterprises, clocked a lap at 226,381 mph (approximately 364,325 km/h), faster than the previous day's time of 225,394 mph (362,736 km/h) set by veteran Conor Daly. This performance was all the more remarkable given that the previous day's results were dominated by drivers with at least ten Indianapolis 500 starts.

The Brazilian, runner-up in the 2025 Indy NXT championship, does not hide his surprise: “I wasn’t expecting it at all. As a beginner, I was just trying to learn the ropes and see how things worked. However, the team did a really good job and allowed me to get up to speed quickly, and I felt very comfortable.” He nevertheless acknowledges that he still has a lot to learn, particularly in traffic management — a fundamental aspect in Indianapolis where passing in a pack is one of the most delicate exercises for newcomers.

Behind the rookie, two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden finished second with 226,223 mph (364,071 km/h) in the number 2 Penske, his time also having been set earlier in the day. Defending champion Álex Palou, also the champion ofIndycar The defending champion is in third position at 225,272 mph (362,540 km/h) on the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Pato O'Ward is in fourth position with 225,109 mph (362,278 km/h), ahead of two-time winner Takuma Sato on the No. 75 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, who completes the top 5.

Harvey is the fastest without a vacuum

These impressive times must nevertheless be qualified by the phenomenon of slipstreaming—the "tow"—omnipresent on the Indianapolis oval, where cars benefit from the slipstream created by the vehicles ahead to reach speeds significantly higher than they could achieve on their own. The fastest driver without slipstreaming remains Jack Harvey, whose best solo lap of 221,112 mph (355,845 km/h) in the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold even improves upon his own record from the previous day under similar conditions.

The British veteran's day, however, ended prematurely in the worst possible way: a thick plume of white smoke billowed from the rear of his car between turns 3 and 4 in the mid-afternoon, forcing him to make an emergency pit stop. Jack Harvey remained philosophical nonetheless: "This isn't how we would have liked to end the day, but I still think that, overall, these tests were quite successful." In addition, Katherine Legge, the last to be announced for the event, completed her mandatory refresher test for veterans, while the four rookies also fulfilled their regulatory obligations as early as Tuesday.

In total, the 33 cars entered completed 4,697 laps without incident over the two days, for a cumulative total of 11,742 miles (18,896.917 kilometers) — a reassuring result before the official start of practice on May 12. The only unexpected moment of suspense of the day came from a fox that ventured onto the track from the infield, immediately triggering a yellow flag until the animal left the area. The 110th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for May 24.

Indy 500 – Open Test
The combined standings from both days

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