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Beginning Friday May 12th we will have day to day coverage of the 2023 gmR grand prix and the indianapolis 500

The agonizing wait and nagging questions finally are over for Josef Newgarden.

Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Newgarden passed reigning Indianapolis 500 by Gainbridge winner Marcus Ericsson on the last lap to snare his first career victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday at a packed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Newgarden, from Nashville, Tennessee, earned his spot on the Borg-Warner Trophy and in racing immortality in his 12th career “500” start, extending Team Penske’s event record to 19 victories in the race.

Newgarden, who started 17th, passed Ericsson on the back straightaway with an outside move just before Turn 3 and snaked down the front straightaway to victory in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet. Ericsson, driving the No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing, fell just .0974 of a second short of becoming the first repeat winner since Helio Castroneves in 2002. It was the fourth-closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history.

SEE: Race Results

“Everyone just kept asking me why I haven’t won this race,” Newgarden said. “They looked at you like you’re a failure if you don’t win it. I wanted to win it so bad. I knew we could. I knew we were capable. It’s a huge team effort, as everybody knows. I’m so glad to be here.”

After his cooldown lap, Newgarden went into the packed front grandstands to celebrate with fans. He disappeared into a joyous throng of humanity before re-emerging to reap congratulations from his family and Team Penske crew at the Yard of Bricks start-finish line.

Santino Ferrucci finished third in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet. It was the best “500” finish for AJ Foyt Racing since Eliseo Salazar also finished third in 2000.

Pole sitter Alex Palou rallied from being pinned against the pit wall by Rinus VeeKay early in the race and falling deep into the 33-car field to finish fourth in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing. Palou kept the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship lead, holding a 219-199 lead over Ericsson.

2016 “500” winner Alexander Rossi rounded out the top five in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. His teammate and 2013 “500” winner Tony Kanaan finished 16th in his 22nd and final Indy 500 start in the No. 66 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, also the final INDYCAR SERIES start for the popular Brazilian.

Benjamin Pedersen was the best finisher among the four “500” rookies in the field, 21st in the No. 55 AJ Foyt Racing/Sexton Properties Chevrolet after being eliminated from the race in a late, multicar accident. That incident triggered the last of the event-record three competition-related red flags, all in the last 15 laps of the race.

The scintillating finish came in a one-lap showdown for victory after the third red flag. Pedersen, the No. 33 Bitnile.com Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter and the No. 24 DRR Cusick CareKeepers Chevrolet of Graham Rahal were collected in a chain-reaction collision on a Lap 196 restart after the second red flag.

After the cleanup for that incident, the remaining running cars returned to the track from pit lane on Lap 199 behind the hardtop convertible Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Pace Car, which peeled off the track at the end of that lap to create the last-lap dash for glory.

Ericsson got a big jump on the restart with the green and white flags in the air atop the flag stand and led in Turns 1 and 2 on the 2.5-mile oval. But Newgarden gained ground in Turn 2 and darted to the outside on the back straightaway with the crowd of more than 300,000 on its feet in rapture.

Newgarden powered past Ericsson and was able to clear his rival just before entering Turn 3. It appeared Ericsson looked to return the favor on the front straight, but Newgarden used the same snaking driving maneuver to hold off Ericsson that the Swede used last year to parry Pato O’Ward and earn his first “500” victory. Today was only the third time in Indy 500 history a driver used a last-lap pass to win.

“I was just trying to stay locked in,” Newgarden said. “I was emotional the last 10 laps because I knew we were in a position to fight for this win at the end. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I knew it was going to come to some last-lap shootout like it always is these days, which is exciting but stressful for us.”

Newgarden only led five laps, taking the top spot for the first time for one lap during pit stop cycles on Lap 157. He climbed into the lead for the second time, with all pit stops done, on Lap 193 when a crash between the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of Pato O’Ward, the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda of 2019 “500” winner Simon Pagenaud and the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet of rookie Augustin Canapino triggered the second red flag.

Ericsson grabbed the lead from Newgarden on a breathtaking three-wide restart also involving Ferrucci on Lap 196 that was truncated quickly by the incident involving Carpenter, Pedersen and Rahal, setting up the final showdown.

Swedish driver Ericsson expressed dismay with the late red flag and one-lap showdown, hoping instead the race would end under caution with him out front.

“I think we did everything right today,” Ericsson said. “I’m proud of the No. 8 crew and everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing. I think I did everything right behind the wheel. I did an awesome last restart. I think I caught Josef completely off guard and got the gap and kept the lead into Turn 1.

“I just couldn’t hold it on the back. I was flat. I just couldn’t hold it.”

O’Ward led a race-high 39 laps, one of 14 different drivers to lead today. There were 52 lead changes, the third-highest total in Indianapolis 500 history.

Newgarden will split $20,000 with Team Penske and his chosen charities, SeriousFun Children’s Network and Wags and Walks Nashville, for his victory as part of the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge.

The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is the Chevrolet Grand Prix of Detroit presented by Lear on Sunday, June 4 on a new circuit on the streets of Detroit. Live coverage starts at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Historical and event notes from the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

Josef Newgarden

This was the first career Indianapolis 500 victory for Josef Newgarden in his 12th career “500” start. His previous-best finish was third in 2016 for Ed Carpenter Racing. Newgarden joined Team Penske in 2017. Newgarden tied 1957 winner Sam Hanks and 2013 winner Tony Kanaan for the most starts before winning in event history.

Josef Newgarden became the first Tennessee native to win the Indianapolis 500. He is a native of Nashville.

Team Penske earned its 19th Indianapolis 500 victory, extending its event record.

Josef Newgarden started 17th, the lowest starting position for an Indianapolis 500 winner since Ryan Hunter-Reay triumphed from 19th on the starting grid in 2014.

This is the third time a driver has won the Indianapolis 500 from the 17th starting position. The others: Eddie Cheever in 1998 and Floyd Davis and Mauri Rose in 1941.

Josef Newgarden led five laps. The only winners to lead fewer laps were Joe Dawson, who led two in 1912, and Dan Wheldon, who led one lap in 2011.

Josef Newgarden is the first American driver to win the Indianapolis 500 since Alexander Rossi in 2016.

Josef Newgarden made the most significant position advancement in the field today, 16 positions, to claim his Indianapolis 500 victory.

Josef Newgarden is the ninth driver to win the Indianapolis 500 at age 32. The last was Dan Wheldon in 2011.

This is the 10th Indianapolis 500 victory for car No. 2. The last came in 2015, with Juan Pablo Montoya winning for Team Penske.

This is the first Indianapolis 500 win for Chevrolet since Simon Pagenaud in 2019, Team Penske’s last Indy 500 victory before today.

Fourteen different drivers led at least one lap today, tying with 2013 for the second-highest total in “500” history. The record is 15 drivers in 2017 and 2018.

There were 52 lead changes, the third-highest total in “500” history. The record is 68 in 2013, followed by 54 in 2016.

The margin of victory was .0974 of a second, the fourth-closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history. Top three: 1992 – .043 of a second Al Unser Jr. over Scott Goodyear; 2014 – .0600 of a second Ryan Hunter-Reay over Helio Castroneves; 2006 – .0635 of a second Sam Hornish Jr. over Marco Andretti.

This is only the third time the Indianapolis 500 has been decided by a last-lap pass. The other two times: 2006: Sam Hornish (Team Penske) passed Marco Andretti on the front straightaway; 2011: Dan Wheldon passed JR Hildebrand on the front straightaway.

This is the ninth time the reigning Indianapolis 500 winner finished second the following year, with 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson placing second today. The last winner to finish runner-up the year after a win was Helio Castroneves in 2003.

Santino Ferrucci finished third, his best career Indianapolis 500 result. His previous best was fourth in 2020. Ferrucci has finished in the top 10 in all five of his career “500” starts.

Santino Ferrucci’s third-place finish was the best Indianapolis 500 result for AJ Foyt Racing since Eliseo Salazar also finished third in 2000.

This is the first Indianapolis 500 with three competition-related red flags, not related to weather.

Benjamin Pedersen was the top-finishing rookie today, in 21st place.

Helio Castroneves climbed to second place in Indianapolis 500 career miles completed at 10,995, trailing only A.J. Foyt, who has 12,272.5 career miles.

Helio Castroneves completed the full 500-mile distance for the 17th time in his Indianapolis 500 race career, extending his race record. He has been running at the end of the race in 21 of 23 career starts.

A record six former winners led the 2023 Indianapolis 500, surpassing the prior race record of five set in 1980, 1981 and 1993. The six former winners to lead today: Marcus Ericsson, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alexander Rossi, Takuma Sato, Will Power and Helio Castroneves.

There were 11 lap leaders who finished on the lead lap, beating the event record of nine, set in 2011.

Paddock Buzz: TK, Helio Enjoy One Last Dance on Track

By Joey Barnes | Published: May 28, 2023

Tony Kanaan ended his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career as a driver exactly as it began: battling Helio Castroneves.

The two Brazilians that competed against each other in go-karts as kids four decades ago once again went wheel-to-wheel, but this was for 15th in the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday.

In the end, Castroneves was able to squeeze out a top-15 finish in the No. 06 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda, while the No. 66 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of Kanaan crossed the finish line 16th.

“I told the guys before we started, it was either going to be a win, or anything apart from the win we were going to celebrate, regardless,” Kanaan said. “I think I would do a disgrace to almost 400,000 people that were there that made me feel the way they did to say I'm sad. I had a laugh. Helio and I battling for 15th and 16th on the last lap like we're going for the lead. It was like, ‘Who's playing pranks with us?’

“We both went side by side on the backstretch after the checker and we saluted with each other, and I just told him actually I dropped a tear because of that, and he said, ‘I did, too.’

“It was a good day for me, man. What can I say? We cried on the grid.”

While the result was far from what Kanaan, the 2013 Indy 500 winner, wanted in his 22nd and final start in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” sharing that moment with his longtime friend and rival Castroneves will leave a lasting memory.

“That's what's ironic,” Kanaan said. “We started it in '87, and the last lap of the race we're actually battling -- my last race in INDYCAR, and we're battling like it was for the lead.

“But I wouldn't have it any different, neither to him.”

Rugged Day for Arrow McLaren

It only took nine laps for Arrow McLaren’s day to unravel.

Alexander Rossi delivered a respectable fifth-place finish for the organization, but there was undoubtedly more left on the table.

After starting on the outside of Row 1 in third, Felix Rosenqvist remained a contender for most of the race, with his No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet leading 33 laps. Running in the top five after 183 of 200 laps, the Swede got caught out in Turn 1 as Josef Newgarden made a high-line dive and ended up into the wall, collecting Andretti Autosport’s Kyle Kirkwood in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda. Rosenqvist finished 27th.

“I got on the wrong side of the wake and just pushed, pushed, pushed, pushed and then I almost got it, but the rear came out right before the exit of the corner and then I just hit the wall,” Rosenqvist said. “I tried to stay up there, but eventually after something broke in the rear and I just came back on the track and unfortunately, Kyle hit me. So, very unfortunate for him, as well.”

Disappointment was magnified when Pato O’Ward, who led a race-high 39 laps in the No. 5 Chevrolet-powered entry, crashed just nine laps later in Turn 3 while battling with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson for second. The Mexican was left fuming with how he was raced by last year’s “500” winner.

“I just think I was a little too nice there,” O’Ward said. “I just feel so bummed for the team. We had four very fast race cars. Now, there's only two in the race. There was seven laps to go. I was going to be going for it. Yeah, that was really way too nice. Next time, he comes with me.”

Then O’Ward added, “I got onto an apron to give him room. I got squeezed, and yeah, I won't forget that.”

Dixon Nets Solid Points Despite Frustrating ‘500’

Scott Dixon wasn’t in the fight for the victory like in previous years at IMS, but the tenacity to maximize the performance was certainly there.

Dixon wanted more than a sixth-place finish, and while it might not look spectacular at first glance, it was a strong, under-the-radar type of result. He was fourth on the opening lap after starting sixth in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. However, the first pit stop on Lap 26 couldn’t come soon enough as he was dealing with an ill-handling car and came out running 32nd.

While progress was slow and methodical, he navigated his way forward but didn’t quite have the same pace as his teammates Ericsson and pole sitter Alex Palou, who recovered from a mid-race collision on pit road to finish fourth. Dixon went on to record his fifth top-10 finish through six races this season.

“We just struggled with like speed all day,” Dixon said. “The first set of tires, whatever happened, but it just screwed us. It went so loose and the vibration 15 or 20 laps in was undrivable. So, we're not really sure what happened then because then we had never had it any other since. That put us in a pretty deep hole, man. We were 26th or something at one point. We just struggled with balance. One minute we were understeering, next minute we were loose again. I don't know if we were under downforce, just didn't seem to have enough grip.”

Visibly upset with the lack of pace, there was still some solace in gathering good points for the six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion.

“Obviously, a lot better than the last couple of years, that's for sure,” said Dixon, noting results of 17th (2021) and 21st (2022). “Great result for the team: two, four, six, seven, but only one counts, and that's winning. It's frustrating, man, but we just weren't good enough today.”

Odds & Ends

Stefan Wilson left the hospital and arrived at the track on Race Day morning to surprise Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. The Briton was originally supposed to drive the team’s No. 24 DRR Cusick CareKeepers Chevrolet, but that was derailed after sustaining a vertebrae fracture in a practice crash last Monday.

The Willard Agajanian Watson that Parnelli Jones drove to the 1963 Indy 500 victory was driven by his grandson Jagger Jones, a rookie in INDY NXT by Firestone for Cape Motorsports, during the historic race cars laps before the race.

Newgarden drove for Sarah Fisher from 2012-15 to start his INDYCAR career, and it is a connection that remains ever-present: “I saw Sarah's daughter, Zoey, in Victory Circle. Actually, fun note: Zoey texted me this month and said, I just have a feeling this is your year. She's never said that before, and she was very adamant. She said, ‘I don’t know why, but this is your year.’ I've heard that from a lot of people, OK, many times, so it's hard to react to any of that stuff, but she made a good call this year. Maybe she's my good luck charm.”

Santino Ferrucci’s third-place finish is the highest of his INDYCAR SERIES career and best “500” finish for AJ Foyt Racing since 2000, by Eliseo Salazar.

Simon Pagenaud came into this year’s race having completed 2,197 of 2,200 laps in the Indy 500, which spanned 11 starts. Today, though, that near-perfect mark took a hit as a crash (finishing 25th) left him eight laps short of going the full distance. Now, he has completed 2,389 of 2,400 laps across 12 starts.

2014 “500” winner Ryan Hunter-Reay finished 11th in his Indy-only run for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and said, “I hope so” when asked about returning for another shot next year.

row 1

Alex Palou

Warmup: 222.595

Lap 1: 235.131

Lap 2: 234.399

Lap 3: 233.93

Lap 4: 233.415

4 Lap Average: 234.217

Rinus VeeKay

Warmup: 220.089

Lap 1: 235.019

Lap 2: 234.403

Lap 3: 233.982

Lap 4: 233.444

4 Lap Average: 234.211

Felix Rosenqvist

Warmup: 219.484

Lap 1: 234.602

Lap 2: 234.233

Lap 3: 233.93

Lap 4: 233.693

4 Lap Average: 234.114

Row 2

Santino Ferrucci

Warmup: 215.755

Lap 1: 234.332

Lap 2: 233.778

Lap 3: 233.288

Lap 4: 233.249

4 Lap Average: 233.661

Pato O'Ward

Warmup: 219.148

Lap 1: 233.756

Lap 2: 233.49

Lap 3: 232.962

Lap 4: 232.43

4 Lap Average: 233.158

Scott Dixon

Warmup: 221.344

Lap 1: 234.184

Lap 2: 233.135

Lap 3: 232.808

Lap 4: 232.483

4 Lap Average: 233.151

Row 3

Alexander Rossi

Warmup: 219.667

Lap 1: 234.041

Lap 2: 233.559

Lap 3: 233.013

Lap 4: 231.84

4 Lap Average: 233.11

Takuma Sato

Warmup: 220.58

Lap 1: 233.907

Lap 2: 233.411

Lap 3: 232.817

Lap 4: 232.262

4 Lap Average: 233.098

Tony Kanaan

Warmup: 219.072

Lap 1: 234.001

Lap 2: 233.543

Lap 3: 232.967

Lap 4: 231.806

4 Lap Average: 233.076

Row 4

Marcus Ericsson

Warmup: 219.959

Lap 1: 233.825

Lap 2: 233.272

Lap 3: 232.529

Lap 4: 231.94

4 Lap Average: 232.889

Benjamin Pedersen

Warmup: 218.197

Lap 1: 233.137

Lap 2: 232.869

Lap 3: 232.657

Lap 4: 232.026

4 Lap Average: 232.671

Will Power

Warmup: 218.322

Lap 1: 233.297

Lap 2: 232.518

Lap 3: 232.64

Lap 4: 232.089

4 Lap Average: 232.635

Row 5

Ed Carpenter

Warmup: 217.534

Lap 1: 233.628

Lap 2: 232.396

Lap 3: 232.605

Lap 4: 232.133

4 Lap Average: 232.689

Scott McLaughlin

Warmup: 217.063

Lap 1: 232.914

Lap 2: 232.783

Lap 3: 232.508

Lap 4: 232.506

4 Lap Average: 232.677

Kyle Kirkwood

Warmup: 223.347

Lap 1: 233.476

Lap 2: 233.062

Lap 3: 232.391

Lap 4: 231.726

4 Lap Average: 232.662

Row 6

Conor Daly

Warmup: 218.174

Lap 1: 233.129

Lap 2: 232.703

Lap 3: 232.153

Lap 4: 231.752

4 Lap Average: 232.433

Josef Newgarden

Warmup: 216.275

Lap 1: 232.64

Lap 2: 232.379

Lap 3: 232.401

Lap 4: 232.189

4 Lap Average: 232.402

Ryan Hunter-Reay

Warmup: 215.601

Lap 1: 232.445

Lap 2: 232.338

Lap 3: 232.008

Lap 4: 231.741

4 Lap Average: 232.133

Row 7

Romain Grosjean

Warmup: 223.608

Lap 1: 232.58

Lap 2: 232.099

Lap 3: 231.758

Lap 4: 231.554

4 Lap Average: 231.997

Helio Castroneves

Warmup: 222.271

Lap 1: 232.343

Lap 2: 231.97

Lap 3: 231.832

Lap 4: 231.672

4 Lap Average: 231.954

Colton Herta

Warmup: 222.84

Lap 1: 232.469

Lap 2: 231.873

Lap 3: 231.753

Lap 4: 231.708

4 Lap Average: 231.951

Row 8

Simon Pagenaud

Warmup: 222.191

Lap 1: 231.916

Lap 2: 231.984

Lap 3: 231.97

Lap 4: 231.643

4 Lap Average: 231.878

David Malukas

Warmup: 216.328

Lap 1: 232.433

Lap 2: 232.046

Lap 3: 231.508

Lap 4: 231.094

4 Lap Average: 231.769

Marco Andretti

Warmup: 222.207

Lap 1: 232.331

Lap 2: 231.999

Lap 3: 231.202

Lap 4: 231.198

4 Lap Average: 231.682

Row 9

Devlin DeFrancesco

Warmup: 223.392

Lap 1: 232.151

Lap 2: 231.932

Lap 3: 231.44

Lap 4: 229.904

4 Lap Average: 231.353

Agustin Canapino

Warmup: 219.379

Lap 1: 232.514

Lap 2: 231.615

Lap 3: 230.832

Lap 4: 230.33

4 Lap Average: 231.32

Callum Ilott

Warmup: 218.426

Lap 1: 232.47

Lap 2: 232.014

Lap 3: 230.903

Lap 4: 229.367

4 Lap Average: 231.182

Row 10

RC Enerson

Warmup: 217.207

Lap 1: 231.966

Lap 2: 231.433

Lap 3: 230.899

Lap 4: 230.224

4 Lap Average: 231.129

Katherine Legge

Warmup: 208.683

Lap 1: 231.596

Lap 2: 231.38

Lap 3: 230.679

Lap 4: 230.627

4 Lap Average: 231.07

Christian Lundgaard

Warmup: 220.352

Lap 1: 230.325

Lap 2: 229.776

Lap 3: 229.371

Lap 4: 229.129

4 Lap Average: 229.649

Row 11

Sting Ray Robb

Warmup: 215.616

Lap 1: 230.064

Lap 2: 229.561

Lap 3: 229.514

Lap 4: 229.058

4 Lap Average: 229.549

Jack Harvey

Warmup: 218.154

Lap 1: 229.435

Lap 2: 229.082

Lap 3: 229.176

Lap 4: 228.971

4 Lap Average: 229.166

Graham Rahal

Warmup: 213.33

Lap 1: 232.238

Lap 2: 232.036

Lap 3: 230.939

Lap 4: 231.383

4 Lap Average: 231.648

Big Crowd Salutes Starting Field at Public Drivers’ Meeting

The countdown to the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge reached a traditional mile-marker Saturday morning with the public drivers’ meeting at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Taking place on pit road with the Borg-Warner Trophy, the hardtop convertible Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Pace Car and a large gathering of fans in the Tower Terrace grandstands accompanying the field of 33 drivers, competitors received final instructions for Sunday’s race and Indianapolis 500 starters’ rings by Jostens.

SEE: Starting Lineup

The 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled to start at 12:45 p.m. (ET) Sunday. The race will be broadcast live on NBC, Peacock, Universo and the INDYCAR Radio Network, with pre-race shows beginning at 11 a.m. Peacock also will stream a preview show from 9-11 a.m., with the INDYCAR Radio Network’s preview broadcast starting at 10 a.m.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles opened the meeting by greeting and thanking the fans, as the largest crowd since the 100th anniversary of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in 2016 is expected to flock Sunday to IMS. INDYCAR President Jay Frye also spoke to the sun-splashed crowd in Tower Terrace.

Host Allen Bestwick conducted interviews with selected drivers in the starting field, including reigning series champion and 2018 “500” winner Will Power of Team Penske, Romain Grosjean of Andretti Autosport, fastest rookie qualifier Benjamin Pedersen of AJ Foyt Racing, 2013 “500” winner Tony Kanaan of Arrow McLaren and pole sitter Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing.

The crowd gave a standing ovation to Kanaan, who is making his 22nd and final Indy 500 start Sunday in also his final NTT INDYCAR SERIES race.

Firestone, the exclusive tire of the Indianapolis 500 and NTT INDYCAR SERIES, was saluted for its commitment to the race and series and for its $20,000 total donation to the Indiana Latino Expo, Indiana Black Expo and Indy Pride.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Race Director Kyle Novak followed with final Race Day instructions.

To conclude the meeting, Curt Bruns, vice president of the motorsports division at Jostens, presented special a special Jostens’ ring to both pole sitter Palou and honorary Pace Car driver Tyrese Haliburton, an all-NBA guard for the Indiana Pacers.

FRIDAY MAY 26th

Sato Leads Busy Final Practice on Miller Lite Carb Day

Takuma Sato was the fastest driver in Miller Lite Carb Day practice Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, leading the final session before the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

Two-time “500” winner Sato led with a top lap of 39.4988 seconds, 227.855 mph in the No. 11 Deloitte Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing. Sato, from Tokyo, will start eighth in the race Sunday (11 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo, INDYCAR Radio Network).

SEE: Practice Results | Starting Lineup

“The 11 car is just getting to a nice feeling, which is exactly what I really wanted,” Sato said. “My boys did a fantastic job the entire week. The organization did fantastic, so I’m happy.”

All 33 starters combined to turn 2,355 laps (5,887.5 miles) in just two hours of incident-free track action.

Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon was second at 227.285 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda in breezy conditions under sunny skies and air temperatures in the low 70s. 2008 Indy 500 winner Dixon will start sixth Sunday, when the air temperature is expected to reach the high 70s.

“It didn’t start very well, to be honest,” Dixon said of the two-hour session. “The car was definitely off on balance. We had to work on it a bit. Definitely some strong competitors out there. But it was fun to run with the 21 (Rinus VeeKay), Pato (O’Ward) a little bit and then the 10 (Alex Palou).

“Where we ended was a big improvement, so good on that side of things. Again, I still think we’ve got more to find.”

Those discoveries will come on engineer’s laptops instead of at speed. The next time cars will be on track will be during the pace laps for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” at 12:45 p.m. Sunday on the 2.5-mile oval.

Reigning series champion Will Power and 2018 “500” winner Will Power was third today at 226.953 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Power starts 12th Sunday. Pole sitter Alex Palou ended up fourth at 226.945 in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda, giving Chip Ganassi Racing three of the top four cars before a large, sun-soaked Miller Lite Carb Day crowd.

Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top five at 226.872 in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda fielded by Andretti Autosport. Kirkwood will start 15th Sunday.

Paddock Buzz: Ganassi Wins Clash of '500' Pit Crew Titans

By Joey Barnes

A boisterous crowd brought the energy for Miller Lite Carb Day on Friday as drivers and teams made final preparations for this weekend's 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

The highlight was undoubtedly the Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge, which put 16 teams of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in a knockout tournament. In the end, it was the pit crew of the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda driven by Scott Dixon that came out with a thrilling victory and a $50,000 prize. The crew also earned rings from Jostens and boxes of meat from Good Ranchers, among other prizes.

The final proved to be one of the ages as two of the best in the business faced off as Dixon and Co. bested the crew of Will Power’s No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet in a best-of-three final. Dixon pulled an 11.561-second opening run from the right lane, before Power fought back with an 11.829-second performance after swapping lanes for the following run. Then, with Dixon remaining in the left lane, he and his crew ripped off a staggering 11.012-second run – fastest of the day – against Power’s 12.552-second effort to claim the third run and the final, along with bragging rights.

“It's huge for the team,” Dixon said. “It just shows what everybody does at Chip Ganassi Racing, and it takes a team to win, and I have the best team.

“We'll be giving it all Sunday, but obviously all the credit goes to everyone up here today. I just tried not to screw it up. Congrats, boys. That was fantastic.”

The result marked a fourth win in the pit stop competition for both Dixon and Chip Ganassi Racing. Additionally, it was a bit of revenge after losing in last year’s final at the hands of Josef Newgarden’s No. 2 Team Penske squad.

“Always sweet revenge,” said Tyler Rees, crew chief and right front tire changer for Dixon’s crew known as the “Wolf Pack.”

“Super sweet,” followed Isaac Townsend, the left front tire changer.

“Yeah, it's a super proud moment,” Rees said. “We all work hard, and it's a lot of pressure out there. For everybody to get it done and especially going against Penske in the final round, they're the guys to beat.”

There was a total of $150,000 purse to the competitors, including $25,000 to Power’s pit crew that finished runner-up.

Heath “Keto” Kosik, responsible for the air jack, said: “I think it's cool that we beat Penske because they always say to be the best, you've got to beat the best, and they've been the benchmark for a long time, and today we kicked their ass. It's pretty cool.”

Dixon’s path to the final went through Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Callum Ilott (first round), followed by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Christian Lundgaard (second round), and then Arrow McLaren’s Felix Rosenqvist (semifinal).

Meanwhile, Power singlehandedly knocked out Dreyer & Reinbold, dismantling Graham Rahal’s respectable time of 12.717 seconds with his own 12.544-second time in the first round. Then, Power and his crew went through Ryan Hunter-Reay in the second round. Power then knocked out Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Jack Harvey in the semifinal to advance to the showdown against Dixon.

There were only three wins from the right lane, including Dixon and Power pulling one each against each other. Harvey, driving the No. 30 PeopleReady Honda, was the first to accomplish a right-lane win, doing so in the second round against Rinus VeeKay’s No. 21 Bitnile.com Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter Racing.

THURSDAY MAY 25th

by Terry daniels

This is the final part of our three part series

This is the most competitive field your writer has seen in years there are 20 drivers capable and could win Sunday's 107th indianapolis 500

previously we have always tried to pick a winner sometimes we have other times we been wrong

we honestly can't decide who will win this year it has came down to several drivers

good luck if you decide to gamble on the race I am not!

There are nine former winners with a total of 13 victories Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Simon Pagenaud, Will Power, Alexander Rossi and Takuma Sato and defending champion Marcus Ericsson,

Helio Castroneves and Takuma Sato are the only multiple winners

There are 4 rookies competing for the coveted Rookie of the year are Agustín Canapino, RC Enerson, Benjamin Pedersen and Sting Ray Robb

There are 13 American drivers entered for the race Marco Andretti, Ed Carpenter, Conor Daly, RC Enerson, Santino Ferrucci, Colton Herta, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Kyle Kirkwood, David Malukas, Josef Newgarden, Graham Rahal, Sting Ray Robb and Alexander Rossi

There are 20 International drivers from 14 countries Agustín Canapino, Helio Castroneves, Devlin DeFrancesco, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Romain Grosjean, Jack Harvey, Callum Ilott, Tony Kanaan, Katherine Legge, Christian Lundgaard, Scott McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward, Simon Pagenaud, Alex Palou, Benjamin Pedersen, Will Power, Felix Rosenqvist, Takuma Sato and Rinus VeeKay,

The field includes seven past INDYCAR SERIES champions: Scott Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud, Alex Palou and defending series champion will Power.

there are 17 Honda engines 16 Chevrolet engines with all cars using the Dallara chassis and Firestone tires

+650

Alex Palou

the fastest driver this month at indy calls Spain his home HE was a strong competitor in last years race he has the car and drives for Ganassi racing he defiantly can win this sunday will he ? I THINK HE WILL BE WORTH THE WAGER RUN HIM ACROSS THE BOARD YOU WILL BE HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS he may be off to f-1 nest year and could be his last chance at indy for now

+750)

Pato O’Ward

The Mexican driver has never finished out of the top 6 at indy and has been in the hunt the last 2 years is the 3rd time the charm? it could be he has the equipment to do it and drives for Arrow McLaren whom have never won at indianapolis a sure bet would be a top 3 finish that will happen

+900

Scott Dixon

Australian driver and former winner (2008) is a good choice to win if he would have had better luck at indy he would have be a 4 time winner he has been quiet all month has been favorite to win for last 2 years only to have the win slip between his fingers bet heavy on him i believe this will finally be his year to win he has the car and engine to do it

+1000

Rinus VeeKay

the 22 year old driver from the Netherlands won on the road course at indy in 2021 has alwaysbeen faast on the oval he is in his fourth indy 500 has never started no worse than 4th will be on the outside of row one on sunday will he win it? we think he will break however we will all know on sunday

+1000

Alexander Rossi

the Californian Won the 100th indianapolis 500 in his rookie year with the help of pit strategy HE IS WITH a new team this year Arrow McLaren that has been fast all month can He win for a second time ? I don't think so however why listen to me if you feel he will bet heavy on him and if he does drink the milk in victory lane let the writer know i was wrong on him

+1100)

Felix Rosenqvist

the sweedish driver may be in his final year with Arrow McLaren and has something to prove he is the fastest driver on the 4 car team amd will be starting in the middle of row one he could take off and leave the field far behind him if luck goes his way he will make the left hand turn into victory lane on sunday

+1200

Takuma Sato

The Japanese driver is a two time winner(2017) (2020) he is by far the most exciting driver to watch at Indy with his daring driving skillls he will either win or wreck trying he drives for Ganassi racing so the equipment is there he really could become a three time winner on sunday do not be afraid to bet heavy on him to do so

+1200

Marcus Ericsson

Sweeden born He is the Defending champion he was in the right place at the right time last year he held off the arrow Mclaren team to do so it is very hard to win the indianapoolis 500 once let alone two times in a row He will be in the top five at the end for sure

+1200

Santino Ferrucci

The american born driver with a foreign sounding name drives for the legend A. J. Foyt this driver has the talent and it looks like the equipment to do it now look for him to be a strong challenger sunday and if he has any luck he could be in victory lane my gut tells me he will be the surprise on sunday however been wrong before HE WILL BE THE FACE OF INDY CAR FOR YEARS TO COME

+1200

Scott McLaughlin

he calls New Zealand home has not had much luck in his first 2 races there never finishing no better than 20th why is he in the top of our picks you ask? he drivers for the captain at team penske need to say anymore

+1400

Josef Newgarden

the third american driver in the top eleven the Tennessean has had 5 top 10 finishes at indianapolis he is a 2 time indy car champion (2017) (2019) he has the ability if team Penske give him the car on sunday he can compete with anyone out there

WEDNESDAY MAY 24th

by Terry daniels

The second part of our three part series this group are the long shots to win on sunday if you feel strong enough about ant of these drivers your rewards will be hearty there are five former winners here in the group we added Graham Rahal after hearing he is the replacement driver for the injured Stefan Wilson at Dreyer & Reinbold racing

+1600

Will Power

Australia born driver and the 2018 winner showed speed on Monday practice could be a dark hore has the right equipment with one of the top teams in indy car , Team Penske has 18 Indy 500 wins and it has been a few years take a chance if you have a few bucks laying around you may thank me later

+1800

Tony Kanaan

The former winner (2013) and fan favorite from Brazil is in his farewell tour is in with one of the top teams Arrow McLaren He will be a challenge on Sunday and will lead some laps it could be lap 200

+1800

Colton Herta

The DRIVER who calls Santa Clara California HOME is the youngest driver (18) to win a indy car race He applied to race in f-1 however was denied He has something to prove on sunday He could be a long shot that pays off He has the skill and being in a Honda, for Andretti motorsports could just do it

+2500

Kyle Kirkwood

The Floridian who drives for Andretti motorsports is a graduate of "the road to Indy Program and has already won this year on a road course at the The Grand Prix of Long Beach He still lacks the talent to run up front on an oval however he is learning maybe a top 10 next year

+3000

Ed Carpenter

The speedway indiana driver seems to always find a way to get around IMS in a hurry In his 20 plus years at Indy He has 5 top 10 finishes and 3 poles He could and he can if he has the right luck on sunday bet him across the board he may just pay off

+3000

Romain Grosjean

The former F-1 from Switzerland is in his sophomore season in the Indy Car series He has proven himself on road course swith 2 podiums this year still learning how to just turn left Possibly a top 10 finish he has the equipment to do it

+4000

Conor Daly

The Noblesville Indiana resident has always had trouble qualifying at Indianapolis however makes up for it on race day if you can get someone to bet you he will lead aa lap in the 500 you will be a sure winner He is driving for five

+4000

Helio Castroneves

the brazian driver is one of four 4 time (2000)(2001)(2009)(2021) winners in the 500 HE HAS STRUGGLED THIS MONTH HOWEVER WILL BE A THREAT ON sUNDAY He will be around at the end and if he is up front watch out

+4000

Simon Pagenaud

The french driver and former winner (2019) could be the long shot that has dividends he can run up front and if his race car is capable win the race this year He is driving a Honda, for Meyer Shank who won the 500 in 2021

+5000

Ryan Hunter-Reay

The california based driver is2013 winner is in a one race deal with Dreyer & Reinbold racing he sat out last years race however is back and ready to win for the 2nd time He may just surprise everyone to race day however I see a solid top 10 finish

+5000

David Malukas

He calls Chicago home and is a graduate of The Road to Indy series is in his second season of Indy car He is an excellent road course driver and has made much improvements on ovals a top 10 finish is a long shot

TUESDAY MAY 23rd

by Terry daniels

This is the first of a three part series on the 33 drivers that made the Indianapolis 500. All these drivers have earned a spot in this years race however we are being straight forward in their chances of kissing the bricks on race day in no way do we disrespect any one of these drivers or Teams

+5000

Graham Rahal

The Ohio driver was bumped out of sunday's race driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan racing however after Stefan Wilson accident on monday not cleared to drive was hired by Dreyer & Reinbold as his repacement he has the prove he has talent hopefully a good race car too

+6000

Benjamin Pedersen

The Denmark born driver is one of many drivers overlooked by F1 that come to Indy car, He drives for a legend in A.J Foyt and could be around at the end of the race He is my choice for the rookie of the year this year maybe in a few years he will drink the milk in victory lane

+6000

Marco Andretti

The American driver and former indy 500 pole winner has one of the most famous last names in motorsportsHe only drives in the Indy 500 now He may have the experience however like his grandfather and father has had no luck at Indianapolis he drives for his father Michael Andretti

+10000

Christian Lundgaard

Another Danish driver is in his sophomore season of Indy Car He finished 18th in last years race he drives for Rahal Letterman Lanigan racing whom has had a disastrous month of May hopefully RLL has figured out why they can't go fast by sunday

+15000

Callum Ilott

the British Former F! driver finished 32nd in last year's 500He returns this year driving for Juncos Hollinger racing believe he will improve on last years finish however not by much

+15000

Jack Harvey

The Brit had to bump his way into this years 500 in his six previous 500s his best finish was ninth in 2020 He drives for Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and they have had nothing but struggles the entire month hopefully RLL has figured out why they can't go fast by sunday

+15000

Devlin DeFrancesco

Devlin calls Canada home and is in his second season with Andretti motorsports A graduate from the Indy Lights series finished 20th last year and was on the lead lap The Andretti motorsports team may have a car in the top 3 however not Devlin this year

+20000

Agustin Canapino

The argentine driver , is a lot of experience on roads courses finished 12th at Texas on an oval He drives for Juncos Hollinger racing which is still in the learning process in Indy Car I can see him being in the top 15 at the end however no closer to the top

+20000

Sting Ray Robb

He has a race car drivers name and is one of four rookies in the race , He drives for Dale Coyne racing which has gave mant IRL regulars their first ride He could surprise a few however not many He is one of 10 american born drivers in the field

+30000

R.C. Enerson

The american born driver did not even have a ride tiill the week before the track opened this year he drives for The only one car team in the 500 with limited Track time His racer may be around at the end however will be far out of the top 10.

+30000

Katherine Legge

The british born driver was the fastest of the four Rahal Letterman Lanigan Hondas however RLL struggled all month and after Monday’s accident with Stefan Wilson The Crew will totally need to rebuild her damaged car A VERY NICE LADY IF SHE WAS IN BETTER EQUIPMENT she would defiantly be highen on the list surprise me on sunday katherine

2023 Indianapolis 500 Field Notes

Facts and figures about the starting field for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 28 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Alex Palou earned his first career Indianapolis 500 pole. He is the first Spanish driver to win a pole for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Alex Palou produced the fastest four-lap average speed in history for an Indianapolis 500 pole winner, 234.217 mph. The previous record was 234.046 set in 2022 by Scott Dixon. Arie Luyendyk set the all-time four-lap qualifying average speed record of 236.986 in 1996, but his run came on the second day of qualifications and wasn’t eligible for the pole.

Chip Ganassi Racing earned its third consecutive Indianapolis 500 pole, with Alex Palou in 2023 and Scott Dixon in 2021 and 2022. The last team to win three straight poles was Team Penske, which won four in a row from 1988-91.

This is the eighth Indianapolis 500 pole for Chip Ganassi Racing, the second-most of all time. Arie Luyendyk earned the team’s first “500” pole in 1993, followed by Bruno Junqueira in 2002 and Scott Dixon in 2008, 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2022. Team Penske leads with 18 poles.

This is the third time car No. 10 has won the Indianapolis 500 pole. The last time was 1993 with Arie Luyendyk, who earned Chip Ganassi Racing’s first “500” pole that year.

This is the fastest starting field in Indianapolis 500 history, with an average speed of 232.184 mph. The previous fastest starting field came in 2022, with an average speed of 231.023.

This is the third consecutive year the fastest field in history record has been set. This year’s field average speed is 232.184 mph. It was 231.023 in 2022 and 230.294 in 2021. The record before 2021 was 229.382, set in 2014.

This is the fastest front row in Indianapolis 500 history, with an average speed of 234.181 mph. The previous record was 233.643, set in 2022.

This is the closest front row in Indianapolis 500 history in terms of speed, with .103 of a mph separating pole winner Alex Palou from No. 3 starter Felix Rosenqvist. The previous record was .112 between pole sitter James Hinchcliffe and No. 3 starter Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2016.

The time gap between pole sitter Alex Palou and No. 2 qualifier Rinus VeeKay, .0040 of a second, is the closest in Indianapolis 500 history. The previous record was .01 between pole sitter Al Unser and No. 2 qualifier Johnny Rutherford in 1970.
The speed gap between pole sitter Alex Palou and No. 2 qualifier Rinus VeeKay, .006 of a mph, is the second closest in Indianapolis 500 history. The record is .003 between pole sitter Ryan Briscoe and No. 2 qualifier James Hinchcliffe in 2012.

Katherine Legge turned the fastest single qualifying lap (231.596 mph) and four-lap qualifying average (231.070) for a female driver in Indianapolis 500 history. The previous single-lap record was 230.201 by Simona De Silvestro in 2021; the previous four-lap record was 229.439 by Sarah Fisher in 2002.

Benjamin Pedersen turned the fastest qualifying lap by a rookie in Indianapolis 500 history, 233.297 mph. The previous record was 233.179 by Tony Stewart in 1996.

Benjamin Pedersen recorded the second-fastest four-lap qualifying average by a rookie in Indianapolis 500 history, 232.671 mph. The record is 233.100 set by Tony Stewart in 1996.

There were 84 qualifying attempts Saturday, May 21, an all-time record. The previous record was 73 in 2019.

Rinus VeeKay has qualified fourth or better in his four Indianapolis 500 starts. He qualified fourth as a rookie in 2020, third in 2021 and 2022, and second this year. That’s an average grid position of 3.0 for his first four starts. Only four drivers in Indianapolis 500 history have a better average grid position in their first four starts: Harry Hartz (2.25), Mario Andretti (2.5), Jim Clark (2.5) and Parnelli Jones (2.75).

There are nine former Indianapolis 500 winners in the starting field: Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021), Scott Dixon (2008), Tony Kanaan (2013), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Alexander Rossi (2016), Takuma Sato (2017, 2020), Will Power (2018), Simon Pagenaud (2019) and Marcus Ericsson (2022). Between them, they have 13 victories. The record for most former winners in the field is 10, in 1992. The fewest, other than the inaugural race in 1911, is zero in 1912.

There are four rookies in the field: Benjamin Pedersen (starting 11th), Augustin Canapino (27th), RC Enerson (29th) and Sting Ray Robb (32nd).

Other than the four rookies, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Katherine Legge are the only drivers in the field who didn’t start in the race in 2022. Hunter-Reay’s last start was in 2021, Legge’s in 2013.

Helio Castroneves is the most experienced driver in the field, with 22 previous Indianapolis 500 starts. The record is 35, set in consecutive years from 1958-1992 by A.J. Foyt.

Scott Dixon has led 665 career laps in the Indianapolis 500, the all-time event record. Other drivers in the field who have led more than 200 laps are Tony Kanaan (352) and Helio Castroneves (325).

The oldest driver in the starting field is Tony Kanaan, 48 years, 148 days on Race Day. The youngest driver is David Malukas, 21 years, 243 days on Race Day. A.J. Foyt is the oldest driver to start the Indianapolis 500. He was 57 years, 128 days old when he made his last start in 1992. A.J. Foyt IV is the youngest driver to start the Indianapolis 500. His 19th birthday was on Race Day, 2003.

Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves will be older on Race Day than Al Unser when he became the oldest winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1987 at age 47 years, 360 days old.

David Malukas, Sting Ray Robb and Christian Lundgaard will be younger on Race Day than Troy Ruttman when he became the youngest winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1952 at age 22 years, 80 days old.

Agustin Canapino became the first Argentine driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 since Raul Riganti in 1940.

Nineteen different drivers in this year’s field have led a total of 2,547 laps in previous Indianapolis 500s.

There are a combined 224 previous Indianapolis 500 starts among the 33 drivers in this year’s field. The record is 260 years of experience, set in 1987 and 1992. There were 222 years of combined experience in last year’s field.

The most-experienced row in this year’s starting lineup is Row 3, with a combined 41 career starts (Alexander Rossi 7, Takuma Sato 13, Tony Kanaan 21). The least-experienced row is Row 10, with three combined career starts (Callum Ilott 1, RC Enerson 0, Katherine Legge 2).

There are nine former Indianapolis 500 winners in this year’s field. The record is 10, set in 1992.

There are seven former Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year in this year’s field. The record is nine, in 2021.

Nineteen of the 33 starters in this year’s field are veterans of INDY NXT by Firestone. The veterans are Marco Andretti, Ed Carpenter, Helio Castroneves, Conor Daly, Devlin DeFrancesco, Scott Dixon, RC Enerson, Jack Harvey, Colton Herta, Tony Kanaan, Kyle Kirkwood, David Malukas, Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward, Benjamin Pedersen, Sting Ray Robb, Felix Rosenqvist, Rinus VeeKay and Stefan Wilson.

MONDAY MAY 22nd

Power Climbs to Top as Drivers, Teams Zero In on Race Day

Reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Will Power led practice Monday for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge that started Race Week.

2018 “500” winner Power topped the two-hour, 10-minute session with a top lap of 39.2633 seconds, 229.222 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske as the starting field of 33 drivers continued to hone setups for Race Day. Two-time series champion Power will start 12th in the race.

SEE: Practice Results

“We’ve been having vibration problems,” Power said. “I think we got somewhat on top of that. Ran at the front, ran at the middle, ran at the back, and I think the car’s pretty good. I think we’re in a good spot. We have good horsepower. I think we’re in good shape.”

Six-time series champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon was second at 229.184 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Two-time “500” winner Takuma Sato ended up third at 228.382 in the No. 11 Deloitte Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing.

NTT P1 Award winner Alex Palou, who led the fastest Indy 500 field with the fastest “500” pole speed in history Sunday, was fourth today at 227.392 in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda, putting three Chip Ganassi Racing cars in the top four.

2013 "500" winner Tony Kanaan, making his final NTT INDYCAR SERIES start in this race, rounded out the top five at 227.094 in the No. 66 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Teams wasted little time getting busy during the short day on the 2.5-mile oval, as all 33 drivers combined to turn 2,005 laps (5,012.5 miles). Action was halted 71 minutes into the session due to the first accident of the event, a two-car crash involving Katherine Legge and Stefan Wilson.

The No. 44 Hendrickson Honda driven by Legge made contact with the No. 24 DRR Cusick CareKeepers Chevrolet of fellow British driver Wilson in Turn 1, with both cars making contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 1. Legge’s car continued down the track and made secondary contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2.

Legge climbed from the car without assistance and was evaluated and released from the IU Health Emergency Medical Center. Wilson was conscious and alert when removed from the car by the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.

The next on-track session will be the final practice from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET Friday on Miller Lite Carb Day. The 107th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 28 (11 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo, INDYCAR Radio Network).

Paddock Buzz: Drivers Swing into Pickleball Craze at IMS

By Joey Barnes

The pickleball craze has hit the bus lot at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers are set for their very own tournament ahead of the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

Kyle Kirkwood took ownership of the idea, although he noted everyone seemed to think it was derived from the brain of Colton Herta, his Andretti Autosport teammate. The event will be held at 5 p.m. ET Wednesday in the bus lot (pickleball court, photo above), where all the drivers park their motorhomes for the Month of May.

There will be a $100 buy-in for the “driver’s only” competition, with two drivers making up one team in a knockout-style playoff format.

Anyone entering the tournament is likely targeting the unlikely partnership of Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou. That became apparent Sunday night after Palou earned the Indy 500 pole in a thrilling four-lap run of 234.217 mph in PPG presents Armed Forces Qualifying.

Last night’s pickleball warmup extended into darkness, too, as a generator was delivered around 10 p.m. to keep the lights on. According to Palou, Andretti Autosport’s Romain Grosjean wasn’t pleased with the steady generator din outside his motorcoach.

One driver looking to participate but is currently without a partner is Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Callum Ilott, although NBC INDYCAR analyst James Hinchcliffe suggested he might be open to providing his services, should he get an exemption to participate as a former driver.

Ed Carpenter Racing’s Conor Daly got his first-ever taste of pickleball Sunday night as Kirkwood’s partner. When asked how it went, Daly said Kirkwood “probably wants to punch me in the throat” and is doubting being more than a spectator Wednesday. Kirkwood confirmed Daly “definitely won’t be” sharing the court with him in the winner-take-all tournament and added he aims to have AJ Foyt Racing rookie Benjamin Pedersen alongside to challenge the likes of Newgarden and Palou.

Pedersen confirmed after today’s post-qualifying practice that Kirkwood called him at 11 p.m. last night to request his services, and Pedersen has obliged and accepted a team-up.

Arrow McLaren’s Felix Rosenqvist plans on challenging for the money, while David Malukas (Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports) and RC Enerson (Abel Motorsports) might attend as spectators.

Pedersen’s teammate, Santino Ferrucci, has no plans on being part of the contest in any capacity, opting instead to relax over the next two days and play some golf at Brickyard Crossing.

Ganassi Keen To Keep Ericsson

Chip Ganassi has every intention to retain the services of defending Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Marcus Ericsson.

Ericsson, who is in the final year of his contract, has expressed a desire to stay in the team’s No. 8 Honda.

“Yeah, I want him to stay,” Ganassi said. “Yeah, I'm working hard to do it.”

As for what it would take to make it happen, Ganassi was blunt, if nothing else.

“The same thing it takes for everything to happen,” said Ganassi, referencing the financial challenges. “I'm not a big guy to be talking about our deals or our contracts or anything, but Marcus has a big future in the sport, and I want it to be on this team, sure.”

Ganassi later added, “We just need to finalize some sponsorship, and away we go.”

But are the two sides close?

“I think we are,” he said. “Yeah.”

Odds & Ends

Nearly 85,000 fans attended the PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying weekend – the most in over a decade.

Yves Touron, technical director for Juncos Hollinger Racing, is back working with the team ahead of the Indianapolis 500 after a long absence for personal reasons dating back to the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in March.

Riley Children’s Health kid Ty Arbogast was an honorary crew chief for Ed Carpenter Racing for Monday’s post-qualifying practice session.

Felix Rosenqvist, who will start second for the Indy 500 after a four-lap average of 234.211 mph Sunday, expressed belief that a maximum pace under the current car configuration in qualifying – and track conditions – could generate a single unassisted lap of 236 mph. Three cars breached 235 mph for a single lap on Sunday without the assistance of a tow: Palou (235.131 mph), Pedersen (235.026 mph) and Rinus VeeKay (235.019 mph).

Ahead of Monday’s practice session, Pato O’Ward said Arrow McLaren teammate Rosenqvist has the best car in race trim among the four drivers, also including Tony Kanaan and Alexander Rossi. Rosenqvist deflected that notion and put Rossi in that category. Kanaan’s No. 66 Chevrolet was fastest on the timesheets at the end of the practice session, ending up fifth with a flying lap of 227.094 mph.

The annual photo of the field of 33 on the Yard of Bricks with the Borg-Warner Trophy took place moments before practice, but only 32 were ready for their close-up with the photographers. Everyone was left waiting for Rosenqvist, who ran through Gasoline Alley and down pit road and arrived to a standing ovation of cheers from his fellow competitors. Then, as Rosenqvist went to take his seat, Ed Carpenter swiftly and sneakily pulled it out from under the Swedish driver. Rosenqvist gathered himself after the close call with the ground as bellows of laughter from the surrounding ensemble of drivers followed.

Following the practice crash involving Katherine Legge and Stefan Wilson, Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Legge’s No. 44 Hendrickson Honda, believes the primary car can be repaired and the team will not have to bring out a backup car. The same cannot be said for Wilson’s No. 24 DRR Cusick CareKeepers Chevrolet, though, as the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing crew members already brought out a backup car, completely unmarked and in its carbon fiber base, in the garage before the day’s activities were over.

SUNDAY MAY 21ST

Palou Wins Pole with Record Run in Fastest Indy 500 Field

Alex Palou won the NTT P1 Award for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday with the fastest pole speed in the history of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou earned his first career “500” pole, becoming the first Spaniard to take the top spot, with a four-lap average speed of 234.217 mph (2 minutes, 33.7037 seconds) in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda during the dramatic Firestone Fast Six session. He delivered Chip Ganassi Racing its third consecutive Indy 500 pole. CGR is the first team to win three straight Indy poles since Team Penske won four in a row from 1988-91.

SEE: Qualifying Results | Starting Lineup

“It means the world to me now,” Palou said. “It was really tight, but the 10 car crew did an amazing job. Super proud of the work they did all month, all year to get to this point. We knew we had to go aggressive, to trim the car a lot to get a good first lap and try to be consistent. The fourth lap was really tough to keep it flat, but we did it. I knew it was one chance only.”

This is the fastest field in Indianapolis 500 history. The average speed for the 33-car field is 232.184, shattering the record of 231.023 set last year.

Rinus VeeKay will start second in the No. 21 Bitnile.com Chevrolet fielded by Ed Carpenter Racing after his four-lap average of 234.211. That's the second-closest margin in terms of speed between the top two qualifiers in Indy 500 history, as the .006 of a mph margin was bested only by the .003 gap between pole sitter Ryan Briscoe and James Hinchcliffe in 2012. The .0040 of a second gap between Palou and VeeKay broke the record for the closest time margin between the top qualifiers, .01 between pole sitter Al Unser and Johnny Rutherford in 1970.

Felix Rosenqvist earned the outside front-row starting spot after qualifying third at 234.114 in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

All three front-row starters were faster than the previous pole record of 234.046 set last year by Scott Dixon. Only Arie Luyendyk's mighty run of 236.986, set on the second day of qualifying in 1996 and not eligible for pole, is faster.

This also was the closest front row in Indianapolis 500 history by speed, as .103 of a mph separated the top three. The previous record was .112 between pole sitter James Hinchcliffe, No. 2 qualifier Josef Newgarden and No. 3 qualifier Ryan Hunter-Reay in the 100th Indianapolis 500 in 2016.

Santino Ferrucci continued a magical month for AJ Foyt Racing by qualifying fourth at 233.661 in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet. Pato O’Ward was fifth at 233.158 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, and six-time series champion Scott Dixon rounded out the Firestone Fast Six and second row at 233.151 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Palou was the third driver on track in the gripping Firestone Fast Six, which put the six fastest drivers from the Top 12 Qualifying session earlier in the day in competition for the pole on the 2.5-mile oval. VeeKay, Ferrucci and Rosenqvist followed but couldn’t topple him.

“It was not ideal, honestly,” Palou said of watching the last three qualifying attempts. “It was tougher than doing the four laps.”

Christian Lundgaard, Sting Ray Robb and Jack Harvey earned the final three spots in the 33-car field in an incredibly dramatic Last Chance Qualifying. Harvey bumped his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammate and 15-time Indianapolis 500 starter Graham Rahal by 44 10-thousandths of a second over the 10-mile qualifying run on the last attempt of the session.

Practice for the 33-car field takes place from 1-3 p.m. ET Monday (live, Peacock and INDYCAR Radio Network). Public gates open at 11 a.m. It’s the last on-track session before the final practice from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Miller Lite Carb Day, Friday, May 26.

The 107th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 28 (11 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo, INDYCAR Radio Network).

Paddock Buzz: VeeKay Happy, ‘Bummed’ about Pole Near-Miss

By Joey Barnes

Rinus VeeKay rocketed his No. 21 Bitnile.com Chevrolet to a near-pole-winning effort in the Firestone Fast Six with a four-lap average of 234.211 mph, which left him second and .0040 of a second short of Alex Palou’s record four-lap average run of 234.217 mph that claimed the NTT P1 Award.

Even so, it further cemented VeeKay’s already remarkable qualifying record at the Indianapolis 500.

The 22-year-old Dutchman, who drives for Ed Carpenter Racing, grabbed a career-best start in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in the No. 21 Bitnile.com Chevrolet. He qualified fourth as a rookie in 2020 and third in both 2021 and 2022.

“Yeah, it was very close,” VeeKay said. “Wow, very happy, but also a bit bummed. We had that shot, and I wish we could have done it. It would have been so great for the team. But also, I'm bummed to be starting the Indy 500 second.

“Not bad, definitely, but yeah, I think it just has to sink in a little bit. What is in my head now is I lost, but no, I will enjoy this one, and it's my best starting position so far in the ‘500.’ We all know what comes in my car number after second, and that's a 1.”

The stout showing is also a demonstration of the team’s resolve after VeeKay was forced to the garage after qualifying practice Sunday morning when smoke bellowed from the back of his car. While a possible engine change was suspected, the team only needed to make a few minor changes to components before competing in Top 12 Qualifying just two hours later.

“Just very proud of the team,” VeeKay said. “We had a tough morning, kind of went downhill for a bit, and the team still made it happen. The only thing I had to do was stay flat for four laps, and the ECR Bitnile crew gave me the best possible car for this moment.”

VeeKay’s outing means nine of the last 11 years ECR has been represented on the front row of the Indy 500.

Mixed Emotions for Harvey

Jack Harvey delivered a dramatic, last-gasp performance in Last Chance Qualifying to capture the final spot of the field of 33 for the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

The Briton was thrust into a dire head-to-head battle against Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammate Graham Rahal for the 33rd position. Rahal, driving the No. 15 United Rentals Honda, was the last to make his first attempt, nailing down a four-lap average run of 229.159 mph to hold serve of the final starting spot for the majority of the one-hour session.

The only driver to make multiple attempts, Harvey also underwent a left front suspension adjustment ahead of his second run, which was waved off after two laps before a third attempt also fell short of dethroning Rahal. Despite an ideal condition of having his engine cooled for another attempt, Harvey pushed out on track and took started his warmup lap as time expired on the session, making it his fourth run but also the last one to decide the fate of the last row.

Crew members of Harvey’s No. 30 PeopleReady Honda waited anxiously throughout the pit area, bracing each other, with others isolating themselves on the pit wall. Each lap Harvey logged produced a twist on the team’s emotions, as a combination of 229.435 mph (Lap 1) and 229.088 mph (Lap 2) began to sink their hopes, but then an unlikely response of 229.176 mph (Lap 3) saw each member’s attention rise with hope. One crew member simply kept saying: “Don’t lift, Jack. Come on, don’t lift” as the driver dove into Turn 3 of the final lap. Then, Harvey crossed the finish line after his fourth and final lap at 228.971 mph to produce an average of 229.166, bumping Rahal by .0044 of a second.

“Honestly, it was a bit of a blur at this point,” Harvey said. I hate what this means, knocking Graham out of the race; for our team, for him. I think he's the most underrated driver on the grid, in my opinion. One of the best teammates I've ever had. So, that's not a great feeling. In terms of the last run, the goal was honestly just to try and forget what had happened in the first two and stay as open-minded and optimistic as possible. … It's a whirlwind moment.”

In the aftermath of the result, teammate Christian Lundgaard, who was also part of the battle and qualified 31st, jumped on the pit wall and grabbed Harvey by both sides of the helmet and frantically congratulated his teammates resolve. Arrow McLaren’s Felix Rosenqvist and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Conor Daly also stopped by to share their happiness for Harvey.

Harvey didn’t shy away from this not only being the toughest moment of his career, but “probably so far in my life.”

And fitting to his character, he carries the moment with mixed emotions.

“We deal with some personal stuff sometimes, but in terms of professionally, this is without doubt the most draining, difficult day,” he said. “And even now, I'm so grateful to be in the 107th Running of the Indy 500, but at the expense of what it came, it's a bitter moment.”

Harvey mentioned the suspension adjustment helping a car that had a neutral balance, which came in handy as track temperatures at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway reached 125 degrees Fahrenheit – the highest since cars hit the track last Wednesday.

Odds & Ends

Rico Abreu, a two-time champion of the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, was on hand to watch qualifying and was hanging out with the crew of Chip Ganassi Racing.

Alex Palou became the first Spaniard to win the Indianapolis 500 pole.

Alex Palou, Felix Rosenqvist and Rinus VeeKay became the fastest front row in Indy 500 history with an average pace of 234.181 mph, breaking the previous mark of 233.643 mph that was set last year.

The Stanley Cup was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday for photo opportunities with the Borg-Warner Trophy on the Yard of Bricks and in the Chip Ganassi Racing garage in Gasoline Alley.

Santino Ferrucci qualified fourth in the No. 14 Home for Our Troops Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing, shattering his previous best Indy 500 starting spot of 15th (2022). His team owner, A.J. Foyt, started fourth for two of his four Indy 500 wins (tied most all-time with Helio Castroneves, Rick Mears and Al Unser).

Benjamin Pedersen, Ferrucci’s teammate, will be the highest-starting rookie in the field after qualifying 11th (232.671) in the No. 55 AJ Foyt Racing/Sexton Properties Chevrolet. The next closest rookie is Agustín Canapino, who will start 27th (231.070) in the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet.

SATURDAY MAY 20TH

Rosenqvist Paces Epic, Historic First Day of Qualifying at Indy

Felix Rosenqvist led a historic day of qualifying Saturday for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, turning the third-fastest four-lap qualifying run in history to lead the 12 drivers who will compete for the NTT P1 Award on Sunday.

Rosenqvist's second run of the day, at 4:42 p.m. ET, featured a four-lap average speed of 233.947 mph in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Only Arie Luyendyk’s all-time record run of 236.986 in 1996 and Scott Dixon’s pole run of 234.048 last year were faster.

The Swede’s first attempt, at 11:55 a.m., clocked in at 233.099.

“Super proud of the whole team for executing,” Rosenqvist said. “That last run we did was just phenomenal. Almost in a 234 average. That was pretty mind-blowing how we found so much speed. We weren't super happy on our first run, so we had two or three reasons to think we were going to go quicker. We kind of put them all together. Wow, what a run.

“Yeah, just a fun time to be in Arrow McLaren right now. Everything kind of resets for tomorrow, but we’re definitely feeling good right now.”

SEE: Qualifying Results | Qualifying Format

Rosenqvist’s teammate Alexander Rossi was second at 233.528 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, and 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou was third at 233.398 in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing.

Rinus VeeKay was fourth at 233.395 in the No. 21 Bitnile.com Chevrolet fielded by Ed Carpenter Racing, with six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Dixon fifth at 233.375 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan, making his final NTT INDYCAR SERIES start in this race, was sixth at 233.347 in the No. 66 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Arrow McLaren put all four of its cars in the top eight today, while Chip Ganassi Racing put its four in the top 10.

Katherine Legge made history with her qualifying run in the No. 44 Hendrickson Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, turning the fastest single qualifying lap and four-lap qualifying average by a female driver in Indy 500 history. Her fastest lap of 231.627 broke the record of 230.201 set by Simona de Silvestro in 2021, and her four-lap average of 231.070 eclipsed the mark of 229.439 set by Sarah Fisher in 2002 and secured the final locked-in starting spot of the day, 30th.

While positions 13-30 were locked into the field today, PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying continues Sunday with the dramatic Firestone Fast Six runs for the NTT P1 Award and the pressure of making the 33-car field in Last Chance Qualifying.

The 12 fastest drivers from today will participate in Top 12 Qualifying from 2-3 p.m. ET (live, Peacock and INDYCAR Radio Network), with the six fastest from that session competing for the pole in Firestone Fast Six Qualifying from 5:15-5:45 p.m. In between those two sessions, the four slowest drivers from today will compete for the final three spots in the field in Last Chance Qualifying from 4-5 p.m. NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network will broadcast the last two sessions live from 4-6 p.m.

Participants in Top 12 Qualifying are Rosenqvist, Rossi, Palou, VeeKay, Dixon, Kanaan, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato (233.322 mph today, No. 11 Deloitte Honda), Pato O’Ward (233.252, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet), Santino Ferrucci (233.147, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet), reigning “500” winner Marcus Ericsson (233.030, No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda), rookie Benjamin Pedersen (232.739, No. 55 AJ Foyt Racing/Sexton Properties) and reigning series champion Will Power (232.719, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet).

Last Chance Qualifying will feature Rahal Letterman Lanigan drivers Christian Lundgaard (231.056, No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda), Jack Harvey (230.098, No. 30 PeopleReady Honda) and Graham Rahal (228.526, No. 15 United Rentals Honda), and rookie Sting Ray Robb (229.955, No. 51 biohaven Honda).

On-track action Sunday starts with Top 12 Qualifying Practice from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., followed by Last Chance Qualifying practice from 12:30-1:30 p.m., with coverage of both sessions on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

History was made almost as quickly as the 34 cars circled the 2.5-mile oval today under sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s.

Besides Rosenqvist’s epic run and Legge’s history-making laps, Pedersen’s four-lap average was the second-fastest ever by a rookie, topped only by the 233.100 turned by Tony Stewart in 1996. The first lap of Pedersen’s run, 233.297, was the fastest ever by an Indy 500 rookie.

The number of qualifying attempts in a single day was the final record to fall on a frantic day of nearly non-stop attempts during the six-hour, 50-minute session. There were 84 qualifying attempts today, shattering the mark of 73 set in 2019.

Five drivers endured the pressure of four qualifying attempts in one day: Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda), Lundgaard, David Malukas (No. 18 HMD Trucking Honda), Rahal and Robb.

Public gates open at 10 a.m. Sunday at IMS.

The 107th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 28 (11 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo, INDYCAR Radio Network).

Paddock Buzz: Small Abel Team Delivers Big in Qualifying

By Joey Barnes

The journey of the little team that could came full circle as Abel Motorsports and driver RC Enerson qualified for the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

An Indy-only outfit that competes full time in INDY NXT by Firestone, this is the first time Abel Motorsports had competed in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

Led by team manager John Brunner, the group, comprised of INDYCAR SERIES veterans and INDY NXT by Firestone crew members, looked like anything but a rookie squad.

Driving the No. 50 Chevrolet, Enerson was the 16th driver to go out in the qualifying draw and hit the 2.5-mile superspeedway with a four-lap average of 231.129 mph, which slotted him 29th and automatically advanced him into the race Sunday, May 28.

That was Enerson’s only run on the day, so he was forced to sit and wait as fellow rivals attempted swing after swing to push him out of the transfer spot. In the end, though, it was a gratifying result, especially after he failed to make the race in 2021 with the Top Gun team.

“I can’t thank these guys enough,” Enerson said. “Bill (Abel), John (Brunner), my family, all these guys, they busted their asses for two to three months to get this thing ready and prepared. And not only that, almost every team in the paddock had reached out to see if we needed anything. So, it’s been super, super positive. And now, we’re finally here. We finally in the “500.”

“That’s probably the most stressful three hours I’ve in a while just sitting there watching timing on my phone, like if we get close enough (to being bumped out), we’re going to have to go again. I think we’re one of the few teams that only did one run today. We knew it was a little bit conservative, so we had something in the tank for the end there if we did fall down earlier.”

Standing among his driver and crew in the garage, Brunner was still trying to get a grasp of the moment.

“The emotions all day long have been crazy,” Brunner said. “You know, I’ve been here before but never had the emotions get me like it did today. Giving RC his first Indy 500 start, this was his dad’s dream and to think it all started in January and we didn’t have an engine until April, and here we are, a first day qualifier. I can’t even describe it.”

Legge Makes History, Delivers Silver Lining to RLL’s Tough Day

Katherine Legge was the only driver for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) to advance into this year’s edition of the Indy 500 after Day 1 of qualifying.

In a one-one-done attempt, where she was the 31st driver to go out, she put together a calm drive that put her in the record books. The Briton delivered four crisp laps in the No. 44 Hendrickson Honda for an average of 231.129 mph to qualify 30th, the final spot to lock into the race.

With an opening lap of 231.596 mph, she broke the fastest single qualification lap set by a female in the Indy 500, previously 230.201 mph set in 2021 by Simona De Silvestro. Additionally, Legge became a record holder as the fastest four-lap qualification average by a female, shattering the previous mark of 229.439 mph in 2002 set by Sarah Fisher.

“I’d rather be fastest driver, but that’s cool,” Legge said. “Hopefully, next year we can break some other lap records. That would be good.”

Making her third “500” start, and first since 2013, didn’t come without some nervous moments. The final car to attempt to qualify was teammate Christian Lundgaard, who was trying to get his No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda in the race but fell short.

“It was dramatic,” Legge said. “I don’t want to do it that way again, I’d rather be at the front and be in the top 12 tomorrow … I am pleased that we’re in the show. I know we’ve got a lot of work to do until next week to get fast race cars, but the crew and the team have been phenomenal. I know they’re going to be having sleepless nights making it that way.”

Despite numerous efforts by Jack Harvey, Lundgaard and Graham Rahal, all three will be among the four drivers battling for the final three spots in the Last Chance Qualifying on Sunday, which will see each of the contenders get at least one shot to make the field of 33.

The 234 Club

Five drivers broke through to run a lap of 234 mph during the opening day of PPG Presents Armed Forced Qualifying.

The eighth draw of the 34 drivers, Alexander Rossi, the 2016 Indy 500 winner, was the first to break through the barrier, with his No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet knocking down a flying first lap of 234.177 mph, which vaulted a four-lap average of 233.528 mph (second overall).

Alex Palou was the second to cross the mark after going out 28th. The Spaniard primed his No. 10 The American Legion Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing to an opening lap that hit 234.248 mph, with a four-lap average of 233.398 (third overall).

Two-time Indy 500 champion Takuma Sato started his second attempt with a stellar lap of 234.085 mph, with his No. 11 Deloitte Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing setting a four-lap average of 233.322 mph (seventh overall).

On his third and final attempt, Tony Kanaan, winner of the 2013 Indy 500, started the run with a lap of 234.057 mph. The Brazilian’s No. 66 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet crossed the finish line to an eruption of cheers after hitting a four-lap average of 233.347 mph (sixth overall) to break into the top 12 in his final Indy 500 start.

The best was saved for last, though, as Felix Rosenqvist, who went out immediately after Kanaan’s third attempt – the Swede’s second – and jetted to a starting lap of 234.329 mph, but then hit 234.310 mph on the following lap to become the only driver to go beyond the mark twice – and on consecutive laps. Rosenqvist rocketed his No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet to a four-lap average of 233.947 mph and not only became the fastest driver on the day, but also delivered the third-fastest qualifying run in Indy 500 history.

Ganassi vs. McLaren

Qualifying for this year’s edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” picked up where last year’s race left off, with Arrow McLaren and Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) battling for supremacy.

When the clock struck 5:50 p.m. ET and the checkered flag flew, each respective team put all their entries (eight total, four each) into Sunday’s top 12 qualifying bout.

Rosenqvist and Rossi went 1-2 for Arrow McLaren, while Palou was the top CGR driver in third.

Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon, who is going for a record third consecutive Indy 500 pole on Sunday, was fifth (233.375 mph four-lap average) in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Kanaan slotted sixth for Arrow McLaren, ahead of CGR’s Sato in seventh.

The No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of Pato O’Ward, last year’s runner-up in the race, ended up eighth (233.252). Defending race winner Marcus Ericsson was 10th (233.030) in the No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing.

The only others to break into the top 10 were Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay and AJ Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci. VeeKay locked up fourth in the No. 21 Bitnile.com Chevrolet after a four-lap average of 233.395, while Ferrucci wheeled his No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet to ninth with a four-lap run of 233.147.

Odds & Ends

Juncos Hollinger Racing faced a daunting challenge of prepping a swap to a backup car for Callum Ilott on Fast Friday, which they managed to complete by day’s end at 10 p.m. ET. Ilott, driver of the team’s No. 77 Chevrolet, shared that he served his mechanics during the stressful change from the primary car by making them English Breakfast tea as a small appreciation for their hard work, which paid off as they qualified 28th (231.182 mph four-lap average) to lock into the race.

There were a record 84 qualifying attempts made, breaking the previous mark of 73 set in 2019.

Agustin Canapino qualified 27th in the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, becoming the first Argentine to earn a spot in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” since Raul Riganti in 1940.

JR Hildebrand, a 12-time “500” starter who finished runner-up in 2011, may not be among this year’s field of 33, but he still will race in Indianapolis during Memorial Day Weekend. He will climb into a midget courtesy of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development and pound the pavement at nearby Lucas Oil Raceway Park for the Carb Night Classic on Friday, May 26.

FRIday May 19th

Sato Turns Top Lap Since 1996 To Lead ‘Fast Friday’ at Indy

Takuma Sato lived up to his “no attack, no chance” motto on “Fast Friday” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, turning the fastest Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge practice lap since 1996 on the eve of the start of qualifying.

Two-time “500” winner Sato led the six-hour session with a lap of 38.3382 seconds, 234.753 mph in the No. 11 Deloitte Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing, the ninth-fastest practice lap in Indy 500 history. The eight fastest practice laps at Indy were turned in 1996, led by Arie Luyendyk’s speed of 239.260.

SEE: Practice Results | Saturday Qualifying Order | Qualifying Format

Sato’s best lap came during a four-lap qualifying simulation early in the six-hour session that he had to abandon after coming within a hair’s width of touching the SAFER Barrier in Turn 4.

“The beginning of the run, first time today, was really too light,” Sato said. “The middle run, we had more downforce, and I was getting more comfortable. By the end of the day, I think I wanted to try to find the limit again, so we went to a little bit sketchy one (setup) again, so I had to lift in Turn 4. But overall, I think we were very satisfied with our performance.”

This was the second time this week Sato was the fastest driver, as he led the first day of practice Wednesday at 229.439. Speeds climbed today, as extra turbocharger boost added approximately 100 more horsepower to the Honda and Chevrolet engines. That boost also will be available during PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on Saturday and Sunday.

2020 Indy 500 pole sitter Marco Andretti was second today at 234.202 in the No. 98 KULR/Curb Honda fielded by Andretti Herta w/Marco & Curb-Agajanian. Rinus VeeKay was third at 234.171 in the No. 21 Bitnile.com Chevrolet fielded by Ed Carpenter Racing.

Reigning “500” winner Marcus Ericsson took the fourth spot at 234.029 in the No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing. Pato O’Ward rounded out the top five at 233.796 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

All 34 drivers spent the entire session on the 2.5-mile oval in four-lap qualifying simulations to prepare for two days of pressure-packed qualifying. Sato also drove to the fastest four-lap average speed of 233.412 during the sims.

Three other drivers produced four-lap qualifying sim average speeds of 233 mph, with Ericsson at 233.112, two-time series champion Josef Newgarden at 233.085 in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet and reigning series champion Will Power at 233.070 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

Saturday’s action starts with practice from 8:30-9:30 a.m., separated into two groups. Qualifying takes place from 11 a.m.-5:50 p.m., with spots 13 through 30 in the field of 33 determined.

2014 Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay drew the No. 1 spot in the qualifying order Friday night, gaining the advantage of cooler air and track temperatures as being the first driver to attempt to qualify Saturday morning. Sato drew the 25th spot in the qualifying order, when temperatures could be higher and the track slicker.

The 12 fastest drivers Saturday will return Sunday to compete for the coveted NTT P1 Award through two rounds of qualifying, while the four slowest cars also will be back on track Sunday to grab one of the final three spots in the field in Last Chance Qualifying.

Public gates open at 8 a.m. Saturday.

The 107th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 28 (11 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo, INDYCAR Radio Network). PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying is Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21.

Paddock Buzz: JHR Scrambles To Prep Backup Car for Ilott

By Joey Barnes

Juncos Hollinger Racing (JHR) have opted to swap to a backup car for Callum Ilott ahead of PPG Presents Armed Forced Qualifying for the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

The primary car that was unloaded earlier this week was Ilott’s purpose-built challenger for the Indy 500. Now, team is hard at work on the change during Fast Friday, and co-team owner Ricardo Juncos is hopeful the car, which Agustín Canapino drove at the Open Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway last month, will be ready in time for qualifying practice at 8:30 a.m. ET Saturday. There is a possibility, though, that the car won’t be ready until the Last Chance Qualifying on Sunday, which will see four cars battle for positions 31-33 – the final row – with one driver going home.

“Well, we considered in the beginning, but we lost (Tuesday) because it rained,” Juncos said. “So, when we lost (Tuesday), we were thinking, 'OK, we cannot now be forced to lose another day.' You know how it is: You keep trying things, and it seems to be better and now you keep going. Certainly, here we are Friday and it's not good, so we have to (switch cars), unfortunately. I think we are doing the right thing, and sometimes it happens.”

Overall, Ilott needed more comfort in his No. 77 JHR Chevrolet. His top speed this week in the car is 228.942 mph, last overall on the 34-entry speed chart.

“I know what the car should feel like, and it doesn't feel like that,” Ilott said. “At the end of the day, I wasn't happy to continue working with it, but I was working with it, and I have more confidence to qualify with something different than what I was running with. I don't think we would've made the race with the car that we're running with, which is why I'm not stressing right now about the change that we're doing.”

While it is tough to lose invaluable track time, Ilott also mentioned “this is kind of a bit of a relief to be able to just start from scratch again.”

Juncos admitted the team has yet to figure out the issue on the primary car, and said the team changed everything but the chassis.

It is far from ideal, but Juncos has been here before. In 2019, then-driver Kyle Kaiser crashed in practice, and the team was pushing in overtime to get the car prepared, which they did as Kaiser and Co. were able to bump two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso and McLaren making the field of 33 for the Indy 500. There are still three crew members on the squad that were part of that comeback.

Although faced with another obstacle, Juncos vows to overcome it.

“Now, it's actually not that bad, but it's kind of the same thing,” Juncos said. “This situation that is not nice to be in and there is only one option, just to take it and just to move forward and try it. And we are going to make it happen because we did before, and we will do it again.”

If the car is ready by Saturday morning, Ilott will go out 23rd in qualifying.

Andretti with ‘Playable’ Challenger

Marco Andretti comes into this year’s edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” with an edge.

The reason for that isn’t because the third-generation driver gained confidence by becoming the SRX champion last year, it’s due to the raw pace he feels in his No. 98 KULR/Curb Honda for Andretti Herta w/ Marco & Curb-Agajanian.

“Honestly, I have more of a change this year not because of the SRX championship, but because the car speed is, call it playable,” Andretti said. “I think if we execute, we're a third-row car, which now I know we have a shot at playing and being able to hound the fast guys and be able to try to win the race.

“The last two years was almost demoralizing; broken floor, which we weren't even going to make the race if I didn't identify that. So at least we got in the race, but the car speed when it was wrung out the last two years was just demoralizing. It's such a track position-dependent situation now that I knew where we were going to qualify. It’s so hard to make that up, even though you have 500 miles, once you're fourth or further, back in the pack, it’s very, very hard.”

Andretti, the pole-sitter for the 2020 Indy 500 and runner-up as a rookie in the 2006 Indy 500, was hit with an issue during Wednesday's practice, but the team returned and has shown speed. Andretti set the second-fastest time in “Fast Friday” practice with a flying lap of 234.202 mph and will roll off fifth in line for qualifying on Saturday.

Despite being an Indy-only driver now, Andretti remains keen to his instincts around the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

“I knew what the feeling was, I’ve had it before,” Andretti said. “I said, ‘We're still on the floor, we're still on the floor.’ … This place you have to trust your butt. You know, I looked at the data, the tough part about that and the good thing about having experience is it doesn't show up on the data. So, I said: ‘All right. I know this feeling. I know the car is totally detached from the track. It's not talking to me.’ And we were supposed to be on our test setup, which was very good.

“So, I said, ‘It's not the test setup,’ and they're like, ‘Yes it is.’ I go, ‘No, it's not.’ So, we found what it what it was, and we just went out and backed it up.”

Cindric Pours Cool Water on Ganassi Pace

Team Penske President Tim Cindric watched rival Chip Ganassi Racing win the Indianapolis 500 last year and look a juggernaut, with Marcus Ericsson earning a spot on the Borg-Warner Trophy and Scott Dixon leading a race-high 95 laps from pole.

That was last year. Cindric wasn’t too concerned about the early pace put up this week by Ganassi, which placed 1-2 in practices Wednesday and Thursday, while a lone Penske driver found the top five in each of the two days.

“It’s so close right now,” Cindric said. “Draft speeds, we can go do a 229 (mph lap) if we hang back far enough the past two days, so I think that's circumstantial in the past few days. I don't really think that it's a big indicator until you get to Friday. Today you'll start to see a bit more of that and then over the weekend, obviously.

“I think it's early days. Certainly, they're going to be tough, without a doubt, but as far as assessing where we are, I think the past couple days are more about getting the confidence for these three guys in race trim and being able to actually pass the cars that probably aren't as fast as you.

“I think here it's really, really difficult to pass the fast cars unless they're leading. But the key for the race really is to be able to get by the ones that are struggling a couple miles an hour slower than you are, and we couldn't do that the past couple years confidently.

“I think they can talk to that a bit, but that's kind of where our focus has been as far as how you can follow and how you can pass rather than kind of what the overall lap time is. I think most cars out here, given the right tow, can go 229 in the past couple days.”

Sato put Ganassi on top again at the end of Friday’s practice, rolling to a single lap best of 234.753 mph in the No. 11 Deloitte Honda. Ganassi also had Ericsson in fourth at 234.029 in the No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda. The top Team Penske driver was Josef Newgarden in sixth at 233.767 in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet.

Odds & Ends

A trio of engineers – Selda Gunsel, Ph.D., Bassem Kheireddin, Ph.D. and Jung Fang, Ph.D. – were honored with the Louis Schwitzer Award for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ Shell 100% Renewable Race Fuel. In addition to the award, BorgWarner and the Indiana Section of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International presented the three Shell representatives with a $10,000 prize, which will be donated to a charitable organization.

During the post practice press conference, both Pato O’Ward and Kyle Kirkwood looked at a nearby TV as the qualifying draw took place. O’Ward had a “little Pato fan” pull 22nd, which wasn’t ideal, but the Arrow McLaren driver yelled out, “I still love you, buddy,” at the TV. An Andretti Autosport team member drew 30th for Kirkwood, which left him saying, “C’mon, Dave,” before remaining upbeat despite the lackluster number as he walked out of the DEX Imaging Media Center.

Ryan Hunter-Reay brought his sons – Ryden, Rocsen and Rhodes – to the qualifying draw stage, with Rhodes drawing the preferred No. 1 before being hoisted in the air in celebration by his 2014 Indy 500-winning father.

Indianapolis 500 qualifying order

Ryan Hunter-Reay
Colton Herta
Will Power
Helio Castroneves
Marco Andretti
Marcus Ericsson
Christian Lundgaard
Alexander Rossi
Scott Dixon
Simon Pagenaud
Benjamin Pedersen
Sting Ray Robb
Felix Rosenqvist
Tony Kanaan
Ed Carpenter
R.C. Enerson
Jack Harvey
Conor Daly
Devlin DeFrancesco
Graham Rahal
Rinus VeeKay
Pato O'Ward
Callum Ilott
Stefan Wilson
Takuma Sato
David Malukas
Santino Ferrucci
Alex Palou
Romain Grosjean
Kyle Kirkwood
Katherine Legge
Scott McLaughlin
Augustin Canapino
Josef Newgarden

THURsday May 18th

Ericsson Speediest in Pack, Alone as ‘Fast Friday’ Approaches

If practice Thursday is any indication, Marcus Ericsson could start the defense of his 2022 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge victory from the front of the field.

Ericsson turned the top lap, 39.1974 seconds, 229.607 mph, during the six-hour session under sunny skies at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing. It was the fastest lap so far in two days of on-track activity this week, topping the 229.439 set Wednesday by Ericsson’s teammate and two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato.

SEE: Practice Times

Not only was Ericsson fastest overall with the benefit of an aerodynamic tow, but he also was the speediest car running alone, with a best “no-tow” lap of 224.414.

“A really good day for the whole Chip Ganassi team,” Ericsson said. “Yesterday we worked a lot on the race cars. We were good straight away. Then today we built on that.

“I think we did some changes overnight that helped me in my feeling in the car. Felt really happy with my race car. The organization has done a really good job again this year, with really good cars.”

2008 Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon ended up second at 229.186 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, as CGR went 1-2 on the time sheets for the second straight day.

The top four drivers today all are past “500” champions, as 2019 winner Simon Pagenaud was third at 228.681 in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing. 2018 winner and reigning series champion Will Power was fourth at 228.577 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Power also was second fastest on the “no-tow” list, running 224.283 alone on the 2.5-mile oval.

Colton Herta rounded out the top five overall at 228.240 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian.

All 34 drivers competing for 33 spots in the starting field combined to turn 3,159 laps (7,897.5 miles) today in air temperatures that reached the low 80s.

Speeds will jump during the next practice from noon-6 p.m. ET Friday. The Honda and Chevrolet engines that power the field will feature approximately 100 more horsepower due to increased boost levels that also will be available during PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on Saturday and Sunday. Public gates open at 10 a.m. for “Fast Friday.”

Paddock Buzz: RHR Getting Used to New Surroundings

By Joey Barnes

Ryan Hunter-Reay is still getting acclimated to a one-off return for this year’s 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

The 42-year-old is driving the No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet, but his muscle memory has him ready walk into the Andretti Autosport garage, where he spent 12 seasons, or even pull into the pit stall of that team’s No. 28 DHL Honda now driven by Romain Grosjean.

“It’s funny, you spend 12 years somewhere, and that that tends to happen, but especially coming down pit lane when I see that pit box with all the yellow,” said Hunter-Reay, citing the iconic DHL colors he represented for most of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career. “That's kind of where my brain actually (remembers), but now it's quite the opposite right in all black. So, I'm enjoying the role.”

Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indy 500 winner and 2012 INDYCAR SERIES champion, is also building chemistry with the team, specifically race engineer Todd Bowland.

Bowland engineered victory for Buddy Rice at the 2004 Indy 500 with Rahal Letterman Racing, where Rice also led the most laps after starting from pole. Bowland left at the end of that season to join Joe Gibbs Racing in NASCAR, becoming the team’s technical director in 2016 until 2021.

While it is still early days, Hunter-Reay is relishing the dynamic of working with Bowland.

“It's one thing to have dialogue with the engineer and the team over the phone on meetings in person, meetings and all that,” Hunter-Reay said. “It's another thing to operate from home on the racetrack with everybody collaborating together and trying to get that, that team chemistry working, and I think it's gone really well.

“Todd Bowland has an amazing pedigree, obviously. He won the race in 2004, then went to NASCAR. His love has always been INDYCAR, and he came back. Last year, he just kind of oversaw the program and stayed about 50,000 feet (away) observing, helping where he could. Now, he wants to be back on it, and we couldn't ask for a better match.”

Hunter-Reay finished eighth on the first day of practice Wednesday (following Tuesday’s rainout), and ended up 22nd (225.951 mph) in today’s session, and 15th (223.274 mph) on the no-tow (unassisted) lap sheet.

Prank Herta If You Dare

Andretti Autosport is known for two things at the Indianapolis Motors Speedway: speed and legendary pranks in the bus lot.

And one of the team’s drivers, Colton Herta, has heard the noise that many believe he is the one that is usually up to no good, too.

“Listen, I always get blamed for everything,” said Herta, driver of the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda. “It's never even been proven that it's me. Because of my dad's (Bryan Herta) past, I just seem to be the guy that is the punching bag for this stuff. I've never seen anything linked to me about anything like that. I don't see where these allegations come from, except people are jealous. I've got great hair. I've got a great INDYCAR ride, and I think that's where coming comes from. It's just jealousy.”

While that might be true, he is also on alert of potential shenanigans from anyone, including former teammate-turned-Arrow McLaren driver Alexander Rossi, who confessed to having “some stuff” at the ready for various members of the paddock.

“It would be a mistake, and yes, this is a threat,” Herta said. “If somebody were to come after me, it would be a huge mistake for them, and they would probably have to spend a lot of money fixing whatever I will do to their things.”

Herta, who ended up fifth overall (228.240 mph) in Thursday’s practice, went on to add he “will be swift on my retaliation. I have a lot of resources and a lot of great ideas.”

Rossi, with the aid of last year’s “500” starter Sage Karam, drained Conor Daly’s pool and filled it with 1.75 million tiny beads.

That wasn’t the only memorable prank, though. During the Peacock broadcast of practice Thursday, James Hinchcliffe identified Rossi as the one who sawed the muffler off his car.

Retaliation is expected as Hinchcliffe said, “I’m not going to feel bad about what I’m going to do to his truck.”

Celebrating a Legend

Today marked the 60th anniversary of Parnelli Jones winning the pole for the 1963 edition of the Indianapolis 500, with a track-record speed of 151.153 mph. Jones led 167 laps in the race en route to victory, besting rookie Jim Clark by 33.84 seconds.

A.J. Foyt, who finished third in the race, was on hand at the Speedway to accept a celebratory cake on behalf of Jones. The cake was served to the crew of AJ Foyt Racing during lunch.

Speaking from his home in Rolling Hills, California, the 89-year-old Jones recalled his most famous victory.

"The one thing that really sticks out from my 1963 Indy 500 pole was the weather,” Jones said. “It was very windy, and you had to be lucky when you went out to qualify, hoping it wasn't blowing its hardest. I got it right, or was lucky and it wasn't, but it was still very windy during the run. I also remember (Jim) Hurtubise and (Don) Branson being on the front row with me, two of my old USAC Sprint Car buddies.

“When I won the pole in 1962 breaking 150 mph (150.370 mph) for the first time, I had something to shoot for, and people were talking about 150 mph all month wondering if it would happen. In 1963, I just wanted to be on the pole again, and we all (1963 front row) broke 150 mph. It was special to win a second straight pole; that really doesn't happen often. I think Aggie (car owner J. C. Agajanian) was as happy or happier than me to be there again!

“I'll never forget Herk (Hurtubise) led the first lap in the Novi, but I passed him on the second lap and led over 160 laps. Boy, it seems like a long time ago, but not 60 years ago! Those were some special and memorable times in racing."

Foyt spoke with fondness when sharing his memories with Jones.

"Parnelli was always a good hard racer, a real rival,” Foyt said. “We had some great battles, and we sure had fun. 1963 was Parnelli's year - he had us covered on Pole Day and Race Day.

“When we were racing, we spent so much time together. He was a great friend. I wish he could make it back to Indianapolis. It would be nice to see him."

Odds & Ends

Simon Pagenaud received a massive tow to finish third overall in Thursday’s running, pulling a lap of 228.681 mph in the No. 60 AutoNation/Sirius XM Honda, which provided a perfect present for his 39th birthday. Moreover, though, the Frenchman received a plate full of chocolate covered Rice Krispies treats during the post-practice press conference.

com, an auto group in Indianapolis, joined Hunter-Reay’s entry as an associate sponsor Wednesday.

Five teams were represented in the top six at the end of Thursday’s practice, with Chip Ganassi Racing going 1-2 (with Marcus Ericsson and Scott Dixon, respectively), Meyer Shank Racing in third (with Pagenaud), Team Penske fourth (Will Power), Andretti Autosport fifth (Colton Herta) and Ed Carpenter Racing sixth (Conor Daly).

Ericsson was also fastest on the no-tow (unassisted) lap list, at 224.414 mph in the No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda.

Wednesday May 17th

Sato, Dixon Reach 229 as Ganassi Flexes in First Indy Practice

Past winners Takuma Sato and Scott Dixon both topped 229 mph as Chip Ganassi Racing drivers took four of the top seven spots on the speed chart in the first day of practice Wednesday for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

Two-time “500” winner Sato led with a top lap of 39.2261 seconds, 229.439 mph in the No. 11 Deloitte Honda, turned in the final two hours under sunny skies and air temperatures in the mid-70s. 2008 Indy 500 winner Dixon was second at 229.174 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda on a lap turned in the first 10 minutes of the day.

This is Sato’s first “500” outing with the powerful Ganassi team. He won the race in 2017 with Andretti Autosport and in 2020 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

SEE: Practice Results

“The organization is very impressive,” Sato said. “Everything is in the right place and the right people. They use their resources and make the most of it. Preparation is simply impressive.

“Today on the track, all four drivers divided a few different programs. I wasn’t particularly happy with the kind of sensation I was getting in the morning. We’re just working on what’s the best way. In the afternoon, the group run by Ganassi was a great hint for me about what needs to be done. We went for it, and we had a big tow, and that’s why we have a very successful platform right now.”

Santino Ferrucci was third at 228.977 in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet fielded by AJ Foyt Racing. 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and current series points leader Alex Palou was fourth at 228.720 in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing.

Scott McLaughlin was fifth at 228.473 in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet. Reigning “500” winner Marcus Ericsson rounded out the four-car Chip Ganassi Racing team in seventh at 227.701 in the No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda.

RC Enerson completed the three-phase Rookie Orientation Program in the No. 50 Abel Motorsports Chevrolet, as all 34 entries combined to turn 3,455 laps (8,637.5 miles) in the busy, six-hour session after Opening Day was rained out Tuesday.

Practice resumes from noon-6 p.m. ET Thursday. Public gates open at 10 a.m.

Paddock Buzz: Legge Dreams of Indy Win in Manic May

By Joey Barnes

Katherine Legge is getting her appetite for competition filled this month.

She arrived at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday after a red-eye flight ready to go, 48 hours removed from racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Although rain forced the cancellation of opening practice for the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, she put together a respectable start Wednesday behind the wheel of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s fourth entry, the No. 44 Hendrickson Honda.

“It's been busy, and it's weird because you get used to driving that car,” Legge said of the Acura NSX GT3 she drives in IMSA. “You get used to all the buttons on that wheel and then you come back here, and you're like, ‘Wait, OK, opposite side here,’ and I have to kind of relearn everything going back in the Indy car, but apart from that, it’s fine. Everything’s fine.”

Admittedly superstitious, the first foot Legge will push through her fire suit is the same one that mashes the gas pedal: the right one.

The Briton is a two-time starter of the “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” but the last came in 2013. To say this attempt has an entirely different feeling is an understatement.

“It's been so different,” said Legge, 42. “This is my third Indy, but every year I've done it, it's been so different. The first year, I didn’t get a test or anything leading up because we had the Lotus engine, and we were changing it out. … we didn’t know what we were doing. And then the second year, I literally got in on Bump Day and luckily put the car in the field, but I had no testing at all.

“I had Carb Day and that was it. We were really fast. This time I’m like, ‘I've got all of these tests, and this is going to be awesome.’ I don't know. I have no frame of reference because I've done it differently by fate, not by choice. So, this is going to be the first time I do it properly – traditionally – like everybody else.”

Legge has spent “absolutely every day” dreaming about what winning the Indy 500 on May 28 would be like.

“If we're in it at the end of the race and I have a good car, I don’t see why that can’t be a possibility,” she said.

And that potential life-changing win also brought a wide smile and an added sparkle to her eyes when she played out the celebration.

“You think about what happens on the radio, what happens on the lap after you take the checkered,” Legge said. “Then you think about what happens when you kiss the bricks and where you have to go and how crazy that would be, how it would change your life, in general.

“But you think about how emotional you would be coming after the checkered with the team on the radio like, ‘You freaking won the Indy 500,’ and you’re crying like: ‘Oh my God. This is so awesome.’”

Legge ended up 31st out of 34 drivers in Wednesday’s practice but sat out the final hour of the session when the majority of the fastest times, assisted with big groups with an increased aerodynamic tow, were set.

Drivers on Alert… for Rossi

Pato O’Ward knows the reputation new Arrow McLaren teammate Alexander Rossi has developed through some of the more memorable pranks to grace the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

And O’Ward, last year’s Indy 500 runner-up, also provided an important detail that is likely to put everyone on guard through the end of the month.

“It hasn’t started, but I know he’s cooking up something,” said O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Then, O’Ward chimed in that even though his Indy-only teammate, 2013 “500” winner Tony Kanaan, is making his last start in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in this race, that maybe Rossi could provide a last memory.

“If I was Rossi, I would want to give Tony the goodbye he deserves,” said O’Ward, smiling and looking over at Kanaan roughly 15 yards away talking to other members of the media.

While O’Ward believes he could be at risk for shenanigans, as well, getting revenge if something happens is unlikely.

“No, I’m not a prankster,” O’Ward said.

Will Power, the 2018 Indy 500 winner, isn’t thinking about being among those that are pulling any pranks, but why would he confess that if he was?

“It used to be the Andretti drivers, but now Rossi has moved over (to Arrow McLaren),” said Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. “I think that’s what happened: You take Rossi out of Andretti, and now he’s focused on racing and not on pranks. Yeah, I think you’ll see Rossi do really well this year.”

When confronted with the knowledge of people in the paddock weary of Rossi being the main source of pranks during the Month of May, Rossi said with a sly grin, “I mean, because I did it last year...”

Then the driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet confessed: “Yeah, there is some stuff. I have haven’t fully decided what we’re doing.”

And in proper fashion to keep everyone on their toes, it may or may not also include his teammates.

“I don’t know, man,” Rossi said. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

Ferrucci Delivers Promising Start for AJ Foyt Racing

Santino Ferrucci ended up producing the third fastest speed on the day after going 228.977 mph, which was just .0339 of a second off the top spot set by Takuma Sato’s mark of 229.439 mph.

The lap came in the final hour of the session while his No. 14 Home for Our Troops Chevrolet was in full race trim, in a car that was specifically kept away from previous visits to the racetrack by AJ Foyt Racing and purpose-built for this year’s Indy 500.

After a tough start to the year, with Ferrucci and rookie teammate Benjamin Pedersen sitting 22nd and 27th in points, respectively, this showing helped provide a boost for all the team’s efforts.

“I think a lot of people know that this year at the team there's been a lot of changes, a lot of personnel changes, and I'm commenting as the veteran driver,” Ferrucci said. “With (technical director) Michael Cannon coming in, a lot of his focus has been put toward this race and the second half of the season. I think we actually showed quite a bit of speed in the (GMR) GP, especially for the race, to go from last up to about 13th before we had a small issue.

“I think our season is going to turn around hopefully starting with this race,” said Ferrucci, who has four top-10 finishes in as many Indy 500 appearances, including a best of fourth (2020). “But it's not for lack of trying. We've definitely had some really good pace and results up to certain points that I think people can see if they pay attention.

“No, it's just keeping our heads down, and today I think was a huge relief because we didn't really know what we were going to have, and to just roll out and be straight comfortable, I don't know, I don't feel like that's something we're going to lose this month.

“I think the team is really proud of themselves. I'm really proud of the team. We'll just keep the Homes for Troops car up there.”

Odds & Ends

Callum Ilott's first "500" didn't go well last year, ending with a Turn 2 crash. So, he's switching things up, and it starts with the milk he has selected should he win this year's race. "I chose whole milk this year," he said Wednesday. "I chose 2 percent last year and crashed."

Of the 34 drivers trying to qualify for the race, eight of them are aged 42 years or older (Ed Carpenter 42, Helio Castroneves 48, Scott Dixon 42, Ryan Hunter-Reay 42, Tony Kanaan 48, Katherine Legge 42, Will Power 42, Takuma Sato 46). Additionally, there are 11 drivers 24 years old or younger (Devlin DeFrancesco 23, Santino Ferrucci 24, Colton Herta 24, Callum Ilott 24, Kyle Kirkwood 24, Christian Lundgaard 21, David Malukas 21, Pato O’Ward 24, Benjamin Pedersen 24, Sting Ray Robb 21, Rinus VeeKay 22).

RC Enerson, driving a maiden one-off entry for Abel Motorsports, was the lone driver running in the Rookie Orientation Program. He passed phases one and two during the exclusive two-hour ROP session, and completed the third and final phase with just over two-and-a-half hours remaining in the full practice session run in the afternoon that featured all competitors.

Three part-time drivers ended up in the top 10 at the end of Wednesday’s practice, with Takuma Sato (Chip Ganassi Racing) leading the charge by going fastest overall at 229.439 mph. Ryan Hunter-Reay (Dreyer & Reinbold Racing) was eighth, followed by Marco Andretti in 10th (Andretti Herta w/ Marco & Curb-Agajanian).

TUESday May 16th

Rain Washes Out Opening Day of Indianapolis 500 Practice

Intermittent showers forced the cancellation of the opening day of practice for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Tuesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Track activity is scheduled to resume at 10 a.m. ET Wednesday with five minutes of installation laps for all cars on the 2.5-mile oval, followed by the Rookie Orientation Program for driver RC Enerson from 10:15 a.m. to noon. Practice for all cars will take place from noon-6 p.m.

Public gates open at 10 a.m.

The last washout of an Indianapolis 500 practice day was May 18, 2022. It’s only the third complete cancellation of practice for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in the last seven years, as the last rainout before 2022 was May 17, 2016.

The 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 28. PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying will take place Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21.

Paddock Buzz: Finding Time for Different Kind of Drive

By Curt Cavin

Here’s a little secret about reality television, as if it was a secret: Not all the scenes presented to the audience are authentic.

During a soggy Tuesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, second-year NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver Christian Lundgaard conceded a concocted moment for an upcoming “100 Days to Indy” episode.

VICE’s film crew was filming him Monday during his first-ever round at Brickyard Crossing, which has four holes inside the racetrack. The money shot would be standing on the tee box at the par-3, seventh hole, where balls in flight to the elevated green would show the Pagoda in the background.

Lundgaard said his first ball hit the green and bounced long off the back. So, he hit another ball, then another.

“I think we all shot four balls to get one (good) one for the camera,” the driver of the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda said, smiling.

Mulligans aside, Lundgaard said he shot 88, outstanding for a 21-year-old Dane who only began playing courses last year when he moved to the U.S. (Lundgaard said he has been going to driving ranges with his father, who lives on a golf course in Denmark, since 2015.)

Lundgaard isn’t the only driver in the INDYCAR SERIES paddock playing golf, especially with Brickyard Crossing so accessible to them. Last week, Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet) shot 80 from the blue tees last week, then carded a 78 from the whites Sunday.

Graham Rahal (No. 15 United Rentals Honda) must have overheard McLaughlin because he was quick to note that his best round there was “definitely better than a 78.”

“But I’ve played like two rounds in nine months, so it’s not pretty now,” Rahal said of his game.

All three drivers praised Brickyard Crossing for its ability to challenge golfers of all skill levels. Specifically, they enjoy playing Nos. 7, 10 (which has an over-the-hill tee shot) and the challenging four finishing holes.

“From (No.) 15 onward, man, it’s very tough, with that long par-5, a long-par 3 and a long par-4 in there,” McLaughlin said. “The (course) is a place where you have to drive the ball well. It rewards you if you do and punishes you if you don’t.”

Power is ‘Straight Shooter’

Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) will be the subject of an upcoming feature in The Athletic, and several of his rivals and teammates -- past and present -- were asked Tuesday to describe his personality.

Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet) described him as “the most interesting man” in the paddock, something Power agreed with to a point.

“That’s what they would say,” Power said. “That just means they’re worried about me (beating them) on the track.”

However, Power agreed that he’s “very interesting,” in an awkward sort of way.

“I have an interesting perspective on things,” he said, later adding, “I can be very awkward deliberately. I just find humanity so funny.”

Rahal said he likes that Power is direct, although that, too, can be awkward at times.

“I mean, he told me the other day (that) the reason I don’t win races is because I’m 20 pounds overweight,” Rahal said. “(That) was really nice, which is also inaccurate because I just took my body fat percentage, and it’s pretty damn low for a guy my size.

“But he’s a straight shooter, (and) that’s the one thing I love about him though, he’s a straight shooter in everything he does. I’ve always had a really good relationship with him because I’m a straight shooter, too. If I have a conversation with somebody, I don’t want to hear all the (crap) most of these guys spew out. I just want it as it is, and with Will there’s never any doubt. You’re getting it.”

Rutherford Back at Indy

Even Johnny Rutherford wonders, where has the time gone?

Rutherford is back in Indianapolis, as he has been for the past 60 years. He was a rookie in 1963 with Jim Clark and Bobby Unser, among the five first-timers who made the race. Fun fact: Twenty rookies who entered that year’s event failed to make the field of 33.

Rutherford is 50 years removed from winning the first of his three “500” poles – he set a track record and came just two-tenths of a second from being the first to break the 200-mph barrier in qualifying -- and next year will be the 50th anniversary of his first of his three victories in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Rutherford is 85 years old now, as sharp mentally as they come from that generation. He again drove his car here – by himself – from his longtime home in Fort Worth, Texas, a trek of more than 950 miles. Yes, he stopped on the way.

“For gas, yes,” he said matter-of-factly. “Otherwise, (straight through).”

Rutherford, who again is representing Arrow McLaren at functions this month, spent several minutes Monday sitting on a golf cart with A.J. Foyt, who is 88. They know they aren’t likely to have too many days like these at the Speedway.

“A.J. and I have lost a lot of friends over the years, and it seems like we lose more and more every year,” Rutherford said. “I lost (wife) Betty (in 2019); A.J. lost Lucy (April 5). As they say, time marches on.”

Monday May 15th

Wide open field ready for 107th Indianapolis 500

by Terry Daniels

It is May in Indianapolis and the preparations gets underway tomorrow for the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 28.

There are 34 cars entered in the race so for the first time since 2020 there will be bumping

Helio Castroneves and Takuma Sato are the only multiple winners however any of these drivers capable of drinking the milk once again in victory lane

There are 4 rookies competing for the coveted Rookie of the year are Agustín Canapino, RC Enerson, Benjamin Pedersen and Sting Ray Robb

There are 21 International drivers from 14 countries Agustín Canapino, Helio Castroneves, Devlin DeFrancesco, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Romain Grosjean, Jack Harvey, Callum Ilott, Tony Kanaan, Katherine Legge, Christian Lundgaard, Scott McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward, Simon Pagenaud, Alex Palou, Benjamin Pedersen, Will Power, Felix Rosenqvist, Takuma Sato, Rinus VeeKay, and Stefan Wilson

The field includes seven past INDYCAR SERIES champions: Scott Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud, Alex Palou and defending series champion will Power.

Katherine Legge will return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this month, being the only woman entered in the race. she last raced in the Indianapolis 500 in 2013. She is driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Rookie RC Enerson will drive for abel motorsports and is the only one car team entered all others are multiple teams Andretti Autosports have five cars entered and Chip Ganassi Racing and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with four cars

A even 17 Honda engines 17 Chevrolet engines with all cars using the Dallara chassis and Firestone tires

Practice opens Tuesday, May 16 and runs through Friday, May 19. PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21, followed by a two-hour practice Monday, May 22. The traditional final practice, two hours again this year on Miller Lite Carb Day, will be held Friday, May 26.

Sunday May 14th

Fifth Gear: GMR Grand Prix

By Curt Cavin

Alex Palou is ready for his shot at Indianapolis Motor Speedway history.

As if winning an Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge isn’t significant enough, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader can become just the third driver to sweep the Month of May at this iconic facility if he wins “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on May 28.

Only Will Power (2018) and Simon Pagenaud (2019) have won the GMR Grand Prix and the “500” in the same year.

Palou gave himself a chance to score Indy’s rare double by winning Saturday’s 85-lap road course race, and he did it in dominating fashion. The 16.8006-second victory in Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 10 The American Legion Honda was reminiscent of the 30.3812-second drive to Victory Lane he delivered at last year’s season-ending race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Saturday, Palou led 52 laps and drove away from Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) in the final segment. The win was the Spaniard’s fifth overall in the series.

Palou, the 2021 series champion, also now has the points lead by six over O’Ward, and he looks ready to continue the success he’s had so far this month. Oval practice begins Tuesday.

Palou Seeking First Oval Win

To say Palou has the experience to earn his place on the Borg-Warner Trophy is an understatement.

The fourth-year driver finished second to Meyer Shank Racing’s Helio Castroneves in 2021 and qualified second to CGR teammate Scott Dixon last year before leading 47 laps in the race. Dixon and Palou appeared to have the two strongest cars in the race, although each suffered a penalty that derailed their chances to reach victory lane. Palou finished ninth, Dixon 21st.

All five of Palou’s INDYCAR SERIES victories have come on road courses. He won three in his first season with Chip Ganassi’s team, in 2021 (at Barber Motorsports Park, Road America and Portland International Raceway). Then, he added the win last year at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Palou started Saturday’s race from the third position but jumped No. 2 starter Felix Rosenqvist (No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) during the opening sprint to Turn 1, and he slipped past pole sitter Christian Lundgaard (No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda) before the end of the first lap.

Palou’s early advantage came due to starting on Firestone’s alternate (red) tires as Lundgaard’s Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing machine began on the primary (black) tires. Tire strategy played a big role in the 10th annual May road race at IMS, but Palou had the pace throughout.

On Lap 8, Palou recorded the fastest lap of the race at 1 minute, 11.2912 seconds.

Speaking of O’Ward …

There is no denying this fact now: Arrow McLaren is challenging for team supremacy.

The team led by Zak Brown put all three of its drivers in the top five of Saturday’s race, with O’Ward and Alexander Rossi (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) scoring podium finishes in second and third, respectively. Felix Rosenqvist (No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) ended fifth.

“Fricking hard to do in this series with how competitive it is,” O’Ward said.

O’Ward called the improvement in race pace a “massive step forward” and noted that the team is “rolling with some great momentum into our Super Bowl.”

Remember, O’Ward finished second in last year’s “500,” and Rosenqvist was fourth. Rossi, the race winner in 2016, was fifth in his last Indy effort with Andretti Autosport. Plus, the team is running a one-off entry for 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan, who finished third in the “500” last year with Chip Ganassi Racing. This will be Kanaan’s final INDYCAR SERIES start.

“Like Pato said, to get three cars in the top five is near-on impossible these days,” said Rossi, who netted his first podium finish with the team. “Arrow McLaren has done a phenomenal job all year. You can’t talk about how challenging it is to add a car in the offseason. They’ve done it with relative apparent ease.”

Rossi said “the pieces are coming together.” Indy is a good time for that to happen.

Lundgaard, RLL on the Rise

The moustache that Lundgaard said he would wear until he won his first INDYCAR SERIES race seemed on the verge of getting the razor Saturday.

Lundgaard spent the first two-thirds of the GMR Grand Prix in a ferocious battle with Palou, and at various points in the race it seemed a toss-up on which would go to Victory Lane.

Lundgaard faded after the final pit stop because he said the rear tires on that set of primary tires were fading, leading to a bad oversteer. On the previous sequence, the car had been loose on the alternate compound tires, and the change confused him.

“I didn’t understand how we got the balance so wrong,” he said.

Still, Lundgaard and the team set the tone for becoming the comeback team of 2023. After struggling as a group through the season’s first four races, they qualified all three cars in the top eight for the first time since 2005 and finished the race with two cars in the top 10.

Lundgaard came home fourth in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda, Graham Rahal 10th in the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda. Jack Harvey might have contended for such a finish had he not damaged a front tire under heavy braking approaching Turn 1 on the Lap 6 restart in his No. 30 Kustom Entertainment Honda.

Dixon Reaches Another Milestone

Continuity can be so beneficial for a sports team, and part of the success behind six-time INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon has been sticking with Chip Ganassi Racing – and vice versa – all these years.

Dixon and his No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda didn’t get much attention Saturday, but it was another solid day in pursuit of tying A.J. Foyt’s all-time record for series championships. Dixon finished sixth and is 47 points out of the series lead in seventh place.

Dixon competed in his 350th series race with the same team, extending a series record. Helio Castroneves ranks second in that category with 310 starts with Team Penske.

The rest of the top five: A.J. Foyt (262 starts with his team), Marco Andretti (250 with Andretti Autosport) and Power, who made his 226th start with Team Penske on Saturday.

Dixon, Andretti and Power will extend their associations with their respective teams when “500” practice begins Tuesday.

Oval Action Heats Up

Gates for Tuesday’s practice will open at 8 a.m., with veterans practicing from 9:15-11:15 a.m.

There will be a rookie orientation/refresher session from 1-3 p.m. – RC Enerson of Abel Motorsports is the only scheduled participant in that session – followed by a practice for all competitors from 3-6 p.m.

Peacock will cover all the action. The INDYCAR Radio Network will be on the air for the final three hours.

Practice continues all week, with PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21.

Saturday May 13th

PALOU wins GMR GRAND PRIX

Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing flexed a potent combination of speed and strategy to win the GMR Grand Prix on Saturday on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, the Spaniard’s first victory of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

2021 series champion Palou, who started third, drove his No. 10 The American Legion Honda to a 16.8006-second victory over runner-up Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi finished third in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, his first podium result with the team he joined this season after seven years at Andretti Autosport.

SEE: Race Results

“We honestly knew we had a fast car since P1 (first practice) yesterday,” Palou said. “The car has been amazing all weekend. Once we knew we were starting on reds (Firestone alternate tires), I think we knew we were going to fight for the win.

“Amazing work by these guys. I just had to execute.”

Palou’s last victory came in the season-ending Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey last September at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

NTT P1 Award winner Christian Lundgaard finished a season-best fourth in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda. Felix Rosenqvist rounded out the top five in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, as his season-best result gave the team three of the top five finishing positions.

Devising the correct tire strategy for the 85-lap race caused considerable head-scratching for strategists and engineers up and down the pit lane Friday evening and Saturday, reflected in the reality that six of the top 10 starters began the race on Firestone primary “black” tires and four started on Firestone alternate “red” tires. INDYCAR rules require each driver to use both tire compounds during road and street course races.

Palou signaled his intent and showed his speed on Lap 1 when he jumped from third to first on alternate tires, taking the top spot in Turn 13 from pole sitter Lundgaard, who was on primary tires.

For the next 65 laps, Palou, Lundgaard, O’Ward, Rosenqvist, Rossi, Scott Dixon, Graham Rahal and Marcus Ericsson swapped the top spot as leaders peeled off the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course to execute their chosen tire and fuel strategies. The constant shuffle kept strategists on their toes, as one wrong move could have proved pivotal if a caution flag fell at the wrong time.

But the race stayed caution-free after an incident on Lap 2 between Dale Coyne Racing teammates David Malukas and Sting Ray Robb, so the outcome came down to a blend of smarts, speed and execution. And nobody did it better than Palou and the Ganassi brain trust.

Palou made his final stop on Lap 60, choosing scuffed Firestone primary tires, which are slower initially than the softer-compound alternates but whose harder compound lasted laps longer than the alternates and proved to be the better choice for consistent lap times.

Rossi took the lead on Lap 62 when teammate O’Ward pitted for a set of sticker alternate tires for his final stint. But Rossi surrendered the lead to Palou when he made his final stop on Lap 65, and then it was checkout time for Palou.

Palou had a 10.5-second lead on O’Ward when he inherited the lead after Rossi’s pit stop. O’Ward hoped to take a chunk out of that lead and perhaps even challenge Palou for victory due to the extra grip and speed of his sticker Firestone alternate tires, but Palou’s pace on both Firestone compounds proved too much. He pulled away over the closing laps, leaving the best jousting on track as the spirited, position-swapping contest for the final podium position between Rossi, Lundgaard and Rosenqvist.

“Hats off to them,” O’Ward said of Palou and the CGR team. “I just think they were extremely strong today. They really were. For us, we’re two, three and five as a team, and that’s pretty frickin’ phenomenal.

“The guys gave us a great race car. We were kind of just running our own race today. We were there fighting with Lundgaard and all of us teammates. Once I got clear, I had to minimize the gap I had to Alex, but I think they were very strong today. We were just hanging on there at the end, trying not to destroy our reds.”

Palou led 52 of the 85 laps, followed by Lundgaard with 13 laps led. Palou will split $10,000 with Chip Ganassi Racing and his chosen charity, The American Legion, for his victory as part of the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge.

The win also vaulted Palou to the top of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings in the most important month of the series calendar. He leads second-place O’Ward, 174-168, after five races this season. Previous championship leader Ericsson slipped to third, 19 points behind Palou, after finishing eighth in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 28 on the 2.5-mile IMS oval. Practice for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” starts Tuesday, May 16, with PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21.

Nannini Holds Off Foster at IMS for First Career Victory

Matteo Nannini drove to his first career INDY NXT by Firestone victory, holding off fellow series rookie Louis Foster in a compelling duel Saturday on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Nannini, from Italy, drove his No. 75 Juncos Hollinger Racing car from the pole to the victory by .3909 of a second over the No. 26 Copart/USF Pro Championship car of Foster, fielded by Andretti Autosport. Nannini led all 35 laps of the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix despite unyielding pressure from Foster over the last quarter of the race.

SEE: Race Results

“I really wanted this win, mainly for the team,” Nannini said. “We didn’t start the championship where we really wanted, but I know we have the car to do it, the crew to do it. So, I would have been really pissed if I would not have been the winner of this race.”

Kyffin Simpson finished a lonely third in the No. 21 HMD Motorsports with CGR machine, 9.8065 seconds behind winner Nannini on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course.

This was the first INDY NXT by Firestone victory for Juncos Hollinger Racing since September 2019, when current NTT INDYCAR SERIES standout Rinus VeeKay swept the season-ending doubleheader at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. That also was the last INDY NXT by Firestone win for a team other than HMD Motorsports or Andretti Autosport.

Nannini jumped from 17th to fourth in the standings for INDYCAR’s development series with the win.

Hunter McElrea finished fourth in the No. 27 Smart Motors car fielded by Andretti Autosport. Championship leader Christian Rasmussen rounded out the top five in the No. 6 HMD Motorsports with DCR machine after a spirited duel for position with McElrea for much of the second half of the race.

Nannini controlled the race from the start, building a lead of one second after the first green-flag lap and padding that margin to 1.580 seconds by Lap 7.

But Foster stayed in touch, deftly managing his Firestone tires and push-to-pass time for a drive toward the front. With 10 laps to go, Foster closed the gap to within three-tenths of a second.

“I just tried to manage the car to the end of the race,” Nannini said. “I had a little issue with the braking. It was losing (time) quite a bit, but here we are. So happy for the result.”

Foster had two good looks at trying to pass Nannini at the end of the back straightaway entering Turn 7, on Lap 33 and the final lap, but couldn’t pull close enough to make a potentially winning pass stick. Nannini had exhausted his push-to-pass before the final lap, with Foster having five seconds remaining on the final trip around the circuit.

“I was pretty convinced we could get it done there, but with the car and the tires coming off (wearing), it’s unfortunate, really,” British driver Foster said. “Our last two weekends haven’t gone particularly well, so this weekend it was all about points, and we got that. Hopefully we can build on this from here in Detroit.”

The next INDY NXT by Firestone event is a doubleheader June 3-4 at the Detroit Grand Prix on the streets of the Motor City.

Sikes and Hughes Share USF2000 Victory Spoils at Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS Ind. – The final two rounds of the Discount Tire Grand Prix of Indianapolis saw the top three drivers in the USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires point standings share dual podium honors with Simon Sikes of Pabst Racing taking the win in Race 2 and Lochie Hughes of Jay Howard Driver Development further extending his championship lead with a victory in Race 3.

Nikita Johnson of VRD Racing capped off two podium finishes of third with a second-place drive in the final 15-lap event.

Race 2 Results

Race 3 Results

The first of today’s pair of races saw Johnson, from Gulfport, Fla., once again starting at the front of the field having earned his second successive Cooper Tires Pole Award. But the young Floridian found himself under attack the moment the green flag fell.

Remarkably, having lined up sixth on the grid, it was one of Johnson’s VRD Racing teammates, Danny Dyszelski, from Belmont, N.C., who drove around the outside of everyone at Turn One to emerge in the lead from Sikes, who started second, and Johnson.

The more experienced Sikes soon dispatched Dyszelski to assume the top position, which he was able to hold for the remainder of the 15-lap race to clinch his second victory of the season.

Sikes, from Atlanta, Ga., fought off his pursuers following a couple of full-course caution periods, then put his head down and set the fastest laps of the race as he edged clear of the battle for second between championship rival Hughes and Johnson.

Hughes, from Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia, who started second, drove well to regain ground after being elbowed out on the opening lap and falling to seventh. The Australian narrowly held off Johnson at the checkered flag.

Mac Clark (DEForce Racing), from Milton, Ont., Canada finished fourth ahead of Friday winner Sam Corry (VRD Racing), from Cornelius, N.C., then New Zealander Jacob Douglas (Exclusive Autosport) and local resident Elliot Cox (Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development), who claimed the Tilton Hard Charger Award after fighting his way to climbing from 18th on the starting grid to seventh.

The third race of an eventful Discount Tire Grand Prix of Indianapolis had Sikes claiming another successive Cooper Tires Pole Award by virtue of setting the fastest lap of the weekend during the earlier encounter. A four-wide battle heading into Turn One saw Sikes on the bottom and shuffled back to sixth as Evagoras Papasavvas of Jay Howard Driver Development, who started third, become the star of the opening lap as he moved into the lead.

The caution flags flew before the end of the first tour due to contact between two drivers and when the race resumed on Lap 4, Hughes took full command followed by Johnson in second, Papasavvas and Sikes.

Sikes continued to use his experience to advantage and when the yellow came out three laps later for an incident involving local driver Elliot Cox of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development and Friday’s race winner Sam Corry of VRD Racing, he had advanced to second behind Hughes with Johnson in third and Papasavvas fourth.

After repairs to the tire wall following the incident, the scene was set for a three-lap shootout. Impressively, 14-year-old Max Garcia of Coconut Grove, Fla., found himself in the mix. The Pabst Racing driver slotted into third from eighth at the restart with Johnson settling in to second while Sikes was displaced to fourth.

Hughes comfortably maintained the point to continue his streak of winning one race in every event held to date this season.

Garcia ended the day fourth with Ethan Ho of Los Angeles, Calif., showing impressive form for DC Autosport to round out the top five.

Zack Ping from Buford, Ga., picked up the final Tilton Hard Charger Award of the weekend for VRD Racing with a gain of eight positions to finish 11th.

Augie Pabst and Jay Howard took home the PFC Awards as the winning car owners.

The USF2000 teams and drivers will remain in the Indianapolis area for their next round on Friday night, May 26, their only chance of the season to compete on an oval track at Lucas Oil Raceway Park.

Provisional championship points after 7 of 18 races:

1. Lochie Hughes, 185

2. Simon Sikes, 171

3. Nikita Johnson, 144

4. Evagoras Papasavvas, 108

5. Sam Corry, 94

6. Mac Clark, 92

7. Jorge Garciarce, 85

8. Danny Dyszelski, 79

9. Chase Gardner, 74

10. Jacob Douglas, 71

Simon Sikes (#22 Big Check Race Fans/Group6Gear.com-Pabst Racing Tatuus USF-22): “We started on pole, which is obviously where you always want to start but it quickly went downhill from there. I had a bit of a rough start and got into the grass on the exit of Turn Two and unfortunately fell back to sixth place. We went under the safety car pretty quickly and then I had an awesome restart and was able to get all the way back up into second before another yellow. I got the worse at the restart and knocked back a few spots but was able to have a great battle with my teammate Max Garcia for the final spot on the podium on the last lap. I am really happy for Pabst Racing to put another one on the podium.”

Lochie Hughes (#8 JHDD/CSU One Cure/Lucas Oil Products/LHP-Jay Howard Driver Development Tatuus USF-22): “I am super happy to win Race 3. I mean, what a place to win. I can’t thank the team enough. It has been a tough weekend finishing second every single race so far. To finally come out on top is just such a relief and I can’t thank the team enough. It is cool to win for my mom on Mother’s Day as well so hi to them back home.”

Nikita Johnson (#17 Allen Exploration, LLC/Walker’s Cay-VRD Racing Tatuus USF-22): “The weekend went amazing. To have a podium in every race and to have it at Indianapolis at a super historic track is just huge. I started second, went back to fifth and then came up to third. After that I was just focusing on the restarts. I chose the outside and braked deeper than anyone and got into first, was pushed into the grass and went into second and was battling with Lochie for a little bit. I am happy that we picked up a lot of great points after Sebring which didn’t favor us at all. We are back in the championship fight and that’s always good.”

Sweden’s Granfors Vaults to Maiden USF Pro 2000 Victory

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Joel Granfors started a lowly 18th for this morning’s second leg of the Discount Tires Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix road course. But the rising star from Eskilstuna, Sweden, took advantage of a series of opportunities and ended up with a convincing maiden USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires victory.

Salvador de Alba, from Guadalajara, Mexico, capped a banner day for the Canadian-owned Exclusive Autosport team by finishing second. Jace Denmark, from Scottsdale, Ariz., finished third for Pabst Racing.

Results

Championship leader Myles Rowe, from Brooklyn, N.Y., looked to bounce back from a disappointing race on Friday after claiming the Cooper Tires Pole Award for Pabst Racing with Force Indy by virtue of setting the fastest lap in yesterday’s race. Rowe duly held onto the lead at the start, only for an unforced error at Turn Seven on the opening lap to send him wide onto the grass and to the tail of the field.

Instead it was Francesco Pizzi, from Rome, Italy, who took the early advantage for TJ Speed Motorsports after starting second.

An early full-curse caution following an incident farther down the field proved pivotal in the outcome of the race. Pizzi, still out front, was slow on the restart and consequently was swamped by the chasing pack.

De Alba, who was seventh in line for the resumption, timed his jump to perfection, leaping into the lead by the start/finish line, followed by the opportunistic Granfors, who had made up nine positions over the course of the first couple of laps and then leapt from ninth to second.

But the rookie Granfors was far from done. After another full-course caution interruption, the Swede took advantage of a big draft from de Alba as the leaders sped toward Turn One, then promptly braked later, on the outside line, to grasp the lead.

Granfors, who finished second in last year’s GB3 Championship in the UK, never looked back as he raced away to take the checkered flag over three seconds clear of de Alba.

Denmark also profited from the restarts, jumping from sixth to third, which he maintained to the finish.

Ireland’s Jonathan Browne enjoyed a strong weekend for Turn 3 Motorsport, securing his second successive fourth-place finish ahead of the remarkable Rowe, who atoned for his earlier gaff by storming back through the field and finishing fifth to further extend his championship lead.

Granfors, unsurprisingly, earned the Tilton Hard Charger Award, while Michael and Kimberly Duncalfe claimed their first PFC Award of the season as the winning car owners.

Next up for the USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires contenders is their lone oval race of the season at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday evening, May 26.

Provisional championship points after 6 of 18 rounds:

1. Myles Rowe, 139

2. Kiko Porto, 100

3. Francesco Pizzi, 98

4. Joel Granfors, 95

5. Jace Denmark, 91

6. Reece Ushijima, 86

7. Lirim Zendeli, 82

8. Jonathan Browne, 80

9. Salvador de Alba, 77

10. Jack William Miller, 67

Joel Granfors (#92 Corpay Cross-Border-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus IP-22): “It was a crazy race. I started P18, all the way in the back after the DNF in Race 1. I made a good start. I think I managed to get up to P8 after the first two laps then the safety car came out. I had a really good restart. There was a miscommunication with some drivers and we took advantage of that. I think I went from P10 to P2 going into Turn One and then the pace car came out again. I just managed to slipstream Salvador going up into Turn One and managed to brake later than him. From that point on, I was trying to do as quick laps as possible to pull away. I got a gap and managed the tires until the end. It is a dream come true to win here.”

Salvador de Alba (#91 Archandel/Red Cola/Mecano/Z Motors-Exclusive Autosport Tatuus IP-22): “It was a very strange race. I started P12 and gained some spots at the start. Then there was a yellow and the restart was so wild. The leading driver got on the power too late and as soon as it went green, I went to the outside lane and I ended up first. I had quite good speed, but not as good as Joel who took P1. I managed P2 and a podium which is my first podium of the year. I am very happy about that and hope it is the first of many this year.”

Jace Denmark (#20 Metal Works Custom Fabrication-Pabst Racing Tatuus IP-22): “My first start was really awesome. I think I went to sixth or so, and then we had a caution. The restart was super chaotic. I don’t know what the leader was doing but he clearly didn’t pay attention in the driver’s meeting and started way later than what the start zone should be. It bottled everything up but good for me because I came out third from that and just ran my race. I was defending from Jonathan Browne for a while and just finished the race a little behind Salvador. A great race and a great rebound from yesterday. It is nice to finish Indy on a good note. Usually, I don’t have much luck here so this helps going into the Freedom 90."

FRIDAY May 12th

Lundgaard Leads RLL Resurgence with First Career Pole

Christian Lundgaard capped a resurgent Friday for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, winning his first career NTT P1 Award in qualifying for the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Lundgaard turned a best lap of 1 minute, 9.3321 seconds in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda to become the first Danish driver to win an INDYCAR SERIES pole. He edged Felix Rosenqvist by 27 ten-thousandths of a second, as Rosenqvist will start second after a best lap of 1:09.3348 in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. It was the closest gap ever between the top two drivers in the Firestone Fast Six format.

SEE: Qualifying Results

“This 45 Hy-Vee Honda has just been fast all day,” Lundgaard said. “I was hoping for this, but I wasn’t quite expecting it, so it’s awesome to be here right now.”

Lundgaard’s previous best career qualifying performance was third as a rookie last season on the streets of Nashville. His best qualifying spot through the first four races of the season was sixth in late April at Barber Motorsports Park.

This was the first pole for Rahal Letterman Lanigan since Takuma Sato took the top spot in August 2020 on the World Wide Technology Raceway oval.

Lundgaard led all three RLL drivers in the top eight, as Jack Harvey will start fourth (1:09.4220) in the No. 30 Kustom Entertainment Honda and Graham Rahal eighth (1:09.4711) in the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda.

It was a sudden and significant rebound for the team, as Lundgaard entered this race 12th, Rahal 16th and Harvey 23rd in the championship standings. The team’s best finish this season is sixth, by Lundgaard last month at Barber and by Rahal in March at the season opener at St. Petersburg.

“Now we have a shot at it (victory),” Lundgaard said. “We’re leading the field to green, so that’s where we want to be. So, we’ve just got to stay there for the rest of the race.

“Every time we come here to IMS, at least this way (road course), we’ve been quick. So, coming into this year, I was confident. The last time I drove on this track (last July), I finished second. I was second in both practice sessions this morning, so I wanted to up it one, and I did.”

Live coverage of the 85-lap race starts at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Swedish driver Rosenqvist fell just short of earning his second NTT P1 Award of the season and first this year on a road course. But tight competition was the story of the day, as the margin of .2971 of a second between the top six was the fourth smallest in the history of the Firestone Fast Six format.

“It just came down to nailing a lap at the end,” Rosenqvist said. “I made a mistake, just a little wobble there. I just went for it – all or nothing. Big congrats to Christian. Scandinavian front row – that’s always cool.”

2021 series champion Alex Palou will start third after a best lap of 1:09.3780 in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda, with Harvey next to him on Row 2.

Pato O’Ward qualified fifth at 1:09.5422 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Long Beach winner Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the Firestone Fast Six at 1:09.6292 in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda.

Championship leader Marcus Ericsson will start seventh, just missing the Firestone Fast Six in Round 2 with his best lap of 1:09.4419 in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

While the rocket ride toward the top by RLL captured attention, another big story was the struggles of many of this season’s race winners and title contenders and past winners of this race and past season champions.

Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden (starting 13th), 2022 GMR Grand Prix winner Colton Herta (starting 14th), 2023 Barber winner Scott McLaughlin (starting 16th), and Andretti Autosport’s top championship contender this season, Romain Grosjean (starting 18th), all were eliminated in the first round of qualifying.

Reigning series champion Will Power made it through to the second round but was eliminated in that session. He will start 12th in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

Paddock Buzz: Armstrong Wants More after Best Qualifying

By Curt Cavin

It’s a sign of Marcus Armstrong’s rapid ascension in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES that he was disappointed Friday when he earned the best qualifying result of his rookie season.

The driver of the No. 11 Ridgeline Lubricants Honda of Chip Ganassi Racing will start 11th in Saturday’s GMR Grand Prix, but Armstrong wanted so much more, and he felt he and the car were deserving of it.

“We just didn’t do a very good job on that last run,” he said while walking quietly toward Gasoline Alley. “A decent position – it’s not a disaster.”

As part of a rookie deal with Chip Ganassi’s team, Armstrong is only competing on the road courses and street circuits, which means this is his fourth event of the season (of five the series has staged). He similarly reached the second round of qualifying in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, but he advanced no further on that day, starting 12th.

Armstrong likely would have started – and finished – higher at the most recent race, the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park, but a penalty he didn’t think he deserved relegated him to the 26th starting spot (of 27). He drove masterfully to the 11th position.

Armstrong won four races in Europe’s F2 series before arriving in the U.S., and his talent has been on display in finishing 11th, eighth and 11th in his three races in this series. Now, he wants more, and he feels ready for it.

“Yes, I do,” he said. “I think we proved that today.”

Grosjean: ‘We’re Here’

While unhappy qualifying 18th Friday, Romain Grosjean is off to a strong start this season, ranking fifth in the standings for Andretti Autosport on the strength of back-to-back finishes in the past two races (the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and the race at Barber Motorsports Park).

What the driver of the No. 28 DNSFilter/DHL Honda hasn’t been able to do is outrun the questions about when he will get his first series victory. But he doesn’t need a trophy to validate the success he’s having this season.

“Barber was close, (we were) close in St. Pete,” he said. “We’re here.

“The win is going to come whenever it comes. If you finish every time like this, it’s going to be good for the championship. We just keep going.”

Grosjean certainly doesn’t lack confidence, part of the reason he has been a factor in each of the four races this season. He was taken out of the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg by Scott McLaughlin’s defensive move approaching Turn 4, and he finished second in his first two INDYCAR SERIES starts on the IMS road course in 2021. He is the team’s top performer this season.

“Was I expecting to be so successful (in INDYCAR)? Yes, I think I'm one of the best around this job,” Grosjean said. “I won every championship before getting to Formula One. Never, sadly, (did I get) the chance to have the car (in F1) to win races. Was close a few times.

“I mean, yes, I think I'm pretty decent at what I do. That's what I love doing, as well. It works pretty well.”

A Competitive Top Eight

INDYCAR staged a press conference Thursday with the top five drivers in the standings, and it was noteworthy that three drivers who have combined to win 10 series championships – Josef Newgarden, reigning champion Will Power and Scott Dixon – were not in the group. They rank sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, in the standings.

The top five are Marcus Ericsson, Pato O’Ward, Alex Palou, McLaughlin and Grosjean. The top eight drivers are separated by just 32 points through four races.

“Twenty-seven cars, (and) I can name you at least 15 that can win the race over the weekend,” Grosjean said. “I think that's a huge difference.

“Obviously, we all set it up to the best of our ability, capacity. That's what makes the difference, but that's why the lap times are so close. I could be driving a very oversteery car, (McLaughlin) could be driving an understeery car, maybe at the end we do the same lap time.”

As for those top eight in the standings, some of them will have a lot of work to do in Saturday’s race. Newgarden will start 13th, McLaughlin 16th and Grosjean 18th. Even Ericsson (seventh), Dixon (ninth) and Power (12th) must work their way up to get to the podium.

A Helmet for Riley

Drivers often use the spotlight of IMS to show off new helmet designs, and Ericsson has one this weekend benefiting Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, which the reigning champion of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge has visited several times.

The mostly white helmet has artwork created by four Riley patients. The driver of the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda said the helmet will be auctioned following the race, with all proceeds going to the hospital.

“(Living) in Indianapolis for, what, five years now, so (I) came up with this idea,” Ericsson said. “It was a friend of mine, an NHL goalkeeper, who did something similar earlier this week, so we came up with this idea to do something with Riley. Went and contacted them about this idea … they thought it was a great idea.

“I got some different paintings and sent them to my (helmet) designer. He made a design, picked out our paintings that we put on the helmet.”

Ericsson added that it was important to him that it’s Mental Health Awareness Month, “which I think is a very important subject, especially for kids these days with how it is.

“So, yeah, it’s multiple reasons (for the helmet), and it feels fantastic. I think it’s for a great cause.”

What Kind of Cookie?

The “500” has been described a number of ways, but O’Ward has come up with a new one: The Big Cookie. O’Ward isn’t sure how he came up with that.

“I probably heard it somewhere, (and) it just stuck with me,” the driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet said. “It’s just a bad-ass race. No other way to say it.”

Odds and Ends

Helio Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda) lost an engine in Friday’s second practice, requiring a change for qualifying. He said it was the engine Meyer Shank Racing planned to use in “500” qualifying.

Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Snap-On Team Penske Chevrolet) also got hit with bad luck. On the lap that would have been his best in the first round of qualifying, Benjamin Pedersen spun in front of him in the No. 55 AJ Foyt Racing/Sexton Properties Chevrolet. “It’s unfortunate because that was the lap (to excel),” said Newgarden, who missed transferring to the second round by one position and will start 13th.

Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda) will start from the 14th position, but that might not be bad. His last two series victories came from that spot, including last year’s GMR Grand Prix (his most recent victory).

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou (No. 10 The American Legion Honda) is the only driver to have completed every lap this season. Last year, Power and Dixon became the first pair of series drivers to accomplish that feat in the same season.

Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) had a massive slide in Turn 9, reminiscent of the one Herta had in last year’s GMR Grand Prix. Dixon’s incident was in the first round of qualifying, but he was able to advance nonetheless.

There hasn’t been a formal announcement, but Sam Schmidt, a co-owner of Arrow McLaren, said 2013 Indianapolis 500 champion Tony Kanaan will remain with the team as he moves away from driving after this year’s “500” and into something of a coaching role. Kanaan made reference to the new gig during a Peacock interview last month at Barber Motorsports Park.

Matteo Nannini (No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing) won the pole for Saturday’s 35-lap INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix (1 p.m., Peacock, INDYCAR Live, INDYCAR Radio Network). The pole was the first for the series rookie from Italy.

Juncos Hollinger Racing has partnered with Founders Grounds Coffee, a coffee shop in Speedway, to collect toys for families being supported by the Ronald McDonald House of Central Indiana. Toy donations can be dropped off at either Founders Grounds Coffee location (1414 N. Main St. 2nd Floor, Speedway, or next to the IMS Museum) during their normal business hours, or at Juncos Hollinger Racing Shop (4401 Gilman St. Indianapolis) on Wednesdays from 2-3 p.m. Toys will be collected up through the “500.”
For the first time, BorgWarner has launched co-branded Borg-Warner Trophy merchandise. The items are available through all Legends retail operations at IMS.

Nannini Wins First Career Pole on IMS Road Course

Matteo Nannini came to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week needing a boost after a tough start to the season.

Consider that wish granted. Rookie Nannini earned his first INDY NXT by Firestone pole position Friday for the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Nannini, from Italy, finished 15th in both of the first two races of the season in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing car.

Nannini’s top lap was 1 minute, 15.3194 seconds in the eight-minute session on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course. His previous best start this season was ninth at the season opener in March at St. Petersburg. It also was the first INDY NXT by Firestone pole for the JHR team since current NTT INDYCAR SERIES standout Rinus VeeKay swept both poles for the season-ending doubleheader in September 2019 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

SEE: Qualifying Results

“We really needed the result as a team,” Nannini said. “We didn’t start the championship in the best way possible. So, definitely starting in Indy with P1 is really satisfying. I’m really happy for the team, really happy for myself and the group that is supporting me.”

Live coverage of the 35-lap race starts at 1 p.m. ET Saturday on Peacock, INDYCAR LIVE and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

“In this series, qualifying is important,” Nannini said. “When you start in the middle of the pack, the possibility to have a crash is much higher. Now we make sure that we can finish the job tomorrow.”

Hunter McElrea will join Nannini on the front row after qualifying second at 1:15.4467 in the No. 27 Smart Motors car fielded by Andretti Autosport.

Rookie Louis Foster helped to put two Andretti Autpsport cars in the top three of qualifying, as he will start third in the No. 26 Copart/USF Pro Championship car after a best lap of 1:15.5070.

Kyffin Simpson, who led morning practice, qualified fourth at 1:15.5334 in the No. 21 HMD Motorsports with CGR machine. Josh Green was the third rookie in the top five, ending up fifth at 1:15.6517 in the No. 3 HMD Motorsports with DCR car.

Series championship leader Christian Rasmussen qualified sixth at 1:15.6814 in the No. 6 HMD Motorsports with DCR machine.

Mexico’s Escotto Claims Bizarre Dry-Wet USF Pro 2000 Race Win

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Ricardo Escotto claimed an extraordinary victory in this afternoon’s USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix road course. The 18-year-old from Mexico City started 12th in his Jay Howard Driver Development Tatuus IP-22 and was running in 10th position when the red flag was displayed due to a brief rain shower with 13 laps in the books.

When the race was restarted, with the entire field now equipped with Cooper wet-weather tires, despite a fast-drying track, Escotto looked after his tires and managed his pace to perfection. He moved into the lead with around six minutes remaining in the 40-minute timed race and took the checkered flag 4.7227 seconds ahead of Japanese-American teammate Reece Ushijima.

Last year’s USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires champion, Michael d’Orlando, from Hartsdale, N.Y., completed the podium in third for Turn 3 Motorsport.

Results

The day began routinely enough with Brazilian Kiko Porto, who had been fastest in practice yesterday, claiming his first Cooper Tires Pole Award for DEForce Racing.

Porto, the 2021 USF2000 champion, maintained his advantage at the start, was unfazed by an early full-course caution due to some debris on the race track, and continued to lead the way until the race was red-flagged. At that stage he was followed by d’Orlando, with local driver Jack William Miller holding onto third for Miller Vinatieri Motorsports.

The stoppage changed everything. Due to conditions at the time, Race Control instructed all of the teams to change onto wet tires for the restart, after which it became almost immediately apparent that dry weather tires would be significantly faster. But with only around 13 minutes remaining, most of the leaders opted to remain on wets.

Porto led for a couple of laps before his tires started overheating. d’Orlando and Miller then traded the lead a couple of times before they, too, began to struggle for grip on the drying surface.

Finally, on lap 20, Escotto suddenly leapt into the picture, sweeping past d’Orlando at Turn 13 and immediately beginning to pull away. Under instruction from team owner and former champion driver Jay Howard, Escotto had been careful not to push too hard, too soon and the ploy worked to perfection.

Ushijima, who slipped from eighth to 11th soon after the restart, quickly made up ground in the closing stages, finally overtaking d’Orlando for second place with a couple of laps remaining.

Ireland’s Jonathan Browne, the polesitter at Indianapolis one year ago for Turn 3 Motorsport, claimed his best finish to date in fourth, followed by Miller and Mexico’s Salvador de Alba (Exclusive Autosport).

Porto eventually crossed the line in seventh, which enabled him to gain a little ground in the points standings on Pabst Racing with Force Indy’s Myles Rowe, from Brooklyn, N.Y., who finished two laps down.

Escotto’s fine performance also assured him the Tilton Hard Charger Award, while Jay Howard claimed his first PFC Award of the year as the winning car owner.

The USF Pro 2000 will be back in action tomorrow morning to complete the Discount Tires Grand Prix of Indianapolis for the sixth round of their 18-race season.

Provisional championship points after 5 of 18 rounds:

1. Myles Rowe, 120

2. Kiko Porto, 90

3. Francesco Pizzi, 84

4. Reece Ushijima, 74

5. Lirim Zendeli, 71

6. Jace Denmark, 69

7. Joel Granfors, 64

8. Jonathan Browne, 61

9. Jack William Miller, 61

10. Ricardo Escotto, 53

Ricardo Escotto (#4 JHDD/CSU One Cure/Lucas Oil products/LHP-Jay Howard Driver Development Tatuus IP-22): “It was the craziest race of my life. I had damage on Lap 4 or 5 with a broken wing and I continued and then the rain came and we changed to wet tires and everything just worked out perfectly. I couldn’t ask for more and I am really, really happy and thankful to my family, my dad, my sponsors, (engineer) Bryn (Nuttall), Jay Howard and all the team. This is a great day I will remember for a long time for sure.”

Reece Ushijima (#6 Susquehanna-Jay Howard Driver Development Tatuus IP-22): “To be honest, the race started out pretty rough and I was really unhappy on the radio. I was struggling with a little bit of straight-line speed. I was a bit questionable on the call to go to wet tires but Bryn did a great job in setting the pressures correctly and to see both of us come through like we did, it was a great achievement for the team. I am very happy that we have something to show for all the work we have been doing throughout the year. We still have a long way to go but it is a good stepping stone.”

Michael d’Orlando (#1 USF Pro Championships/Focused Project Management-Turn 3 Motorsport Tatuus IP-22): “What a race. Qualifying was interesting with the track being half wet and half dry, you’re just finding the limit, finding the line. It’s definitely been an interesting day to say the least. When I was out there fighting with Kiko for a good part of that race, it was a good fight. We checked away from Jack Miller and I was super happy. I felt like I was back in my element and this streak of bad luck has finally come to an end. This was a good result, definitely what we needed right now. Obviously, the Jay Howard drivers had something more that we didn’t, but sitting P1 for as long as I did, I felt like I was back to where I belong. I am super thankful to Rising Star Racing and Turn 3 for putting together such a good car and I can’t wait to see what we can do in Race 2.”

Corry on Top Following Dramatic Indianapolis USF2000 Race

INDIANAPOLIS Ind. – Sam Corry started 12th on the grid for this afternoon’s first of three races that will comprise the Discount Tire Grand Prix of Indianapolis, but he ended the day on the top step of the podium to score his first USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires victory for VRD Racing. A chaotic fifth round of the season saw four different leaders during the 15-lap race, with Corry, from Cornelius, N.C., taking full advantage of a tangle between Mac Clark (DEForce Racing) and former points leader Simon Sikes (Pabst Racing) to grasp the initiative on the final lap.

Lochie Hughes, from Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia, crossed the line in second place for Jay Howard Driver Development to take over the points lead, mere inches ahead of polesitter Nikita Johnson (VRD Racing), from Gulfport, Fla.

Results

Johnson, who claimed all three bonus points for the pole, fastest lap and most laps led, laid out his stall yesterday by pacing the field both in the two hours of testing and official practice later in the afternoon. Even though conditions were dramatically different this morning, Johnson continued that form on a wet but drying track to secure his first-ever Cooper Tires Pole Award.

The action began at the first corner when second-place qualifier Jacob Douglas (Exclusive Autosport), from Christchurch, New Zealand, clambered over the curbs and was collected by several other cars to ensure a full-course caution.

There was more contact soon after the restart as 14-year-old Max Garcia (Pabst Racing), from Coconut Grove, Fla., missed his braking point at Turn Seven and inadvertently took out both debutant Max Taylor (VRD Racing), from Hoboken, N.J., and local driver Elliot Cox, who had qualified a fine third for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development. Cue another caution.

The final five laps were held under proper green flag conditions, even though they, too, were peppered with incidents. Johnson staunchly defended his lead at the first restart, but on the second, having been pinned to the inside by a charging Sikes, left his braking a tad too deep and slid wide at the apex, gifting Sikes the lead. It didn’t last for long. A couple of corners later, Hughes, up from 11th on the grid, made an incisive pass on Sikes, who had started fourth, at Turn Three.

It was Hughes’ turn to take on a defensive strategy as the leaders headed down the long front straightaway into Turn One for the 12th time. He, too, carried too much speed through the middle of the corner, running out wide and taking Sikes with him. Canadian Mac Clark (DEForce Racing), last year’s USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires champion, was the main beneficiary as he slipped past both of them to grasp the advantage ahead of Sikes and Corry, who had steadily moved up the order. For him, the best was yet to come.

When Sikes once again pressured Clark into Turn One for the final time, there was a sense of deja vu as the Canadian ran wide at the apex and once again took Sikes with him. On this occasion both ran onto the grass, losing several positions. Sikes, from Augusta, Ga., subsequently was involved in a separate incident at Turn Five, dropping him to the tail of the field.

Corry grasped the opportunity with both hands, reeling off the final 2.439-mile lap to take a well earned victory. Behind, Hughes barely held off Johnson, who had recovered well after falling to seventh following his earlier incident.

Danny Dyszelski (VRD Racing), from Belmont, N.C., scored a career best fourth ahead of the recovering Clark, while Chase Gardner (Exclusive Autosport), from Prosper, Texas, picked up the Tilton Hard Charger Award after climbing from 19th on the starting grid to sixth. Clark was later assessed a 30-second penalty for avoidable contact, which dropped him to 14th position.

Dan Mitchell, of VRD Racing, claimed his first PFC Award of the season as the winning car owner.

The USF2000 competitors now have a little time to catch their breath and prepare for two more races tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. and 12 noon EDT.

Provisional championship points after 5 of 18 races:

1. Lochie Hughes, 129

2. Simon Sikes, 115

3. Nikita Johnson, 96

4. Evagoras Papasavvas, 79

5. Sam Corry, 72

6. Jorge Garciarce, 67

7. Mac Clark, 62

8. Chase Gardner 62

9. Jacob Douglas, 61

10. Danny Dyszelski, 53

Sam Corry (#14 Red Line Oil/Fill-Rite/Stilo Helmets-VRD Racing Tatuus USF-22): “I started P12 and everyone loves a comeback story. I just tried to stay out of trouble at the beginning and just try to hit my marks. There was some carnage in front of me and I got out of that clean and led the last lap again just trying to hit my marks and I did and it came to me. The VRD boys put together a really good race car, and I can’t thank them enough and my family.”

Lochie Hughes (#8 JHDD/CSU One Cure/Lucas Oil Products/LHP-Jay Howard Driver Development Tatuus USF-22): “ It was a pretty good race. To start from 11th, which is not ideal, and come through to lead at one point, you can’t ask for more really. It’s great points for the championship. It was a crazy race. We made contact with a few different cars. To come out second in the end, I am very happy.”

Nikita Johnson (#17 Allen Exploration, LLC/Walker’s Cay-VRD Racing Tatuus USF-22): “I took pole position in qualifying and was leading most of the race. But every restart, I would have to out-brake Simon going into Turn One and I was locking up my left and right front. Just by being in the lead, it is always hard here at Indy because you are constantly under pressure and always overheating your tires. I went into One on one of the restarts and locked up and had to use the escape route. I dropped to eighth, I think, but then came back up to third. It was a pretty good race but I am a bit disappointed in my mistake. It was hard with all the cautions and safety cars and that kind of messed me up where I would have broken the draft. I want to thank VRD, my sponsors, my family and everyone that helped get this podium.”