Following Sunday’s Fast Nine qualification session, a 2-hour and 30-minute practice session was held to allow all teams and drivers to change focus towards race day. Marco Andretti led the way, much like he did during both days of qualifying for the 104th Indianapolis 500.
Recap
Andretti’s fast lap during the sixth practice session for the 2020 Indianapolis 500 averaged a lap of 224.122MPH.
Leading the Way
Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Santino Ferrucci set the fastest five laps during the 150-minute practice. Andretti and Dixon qualified on the front row during Sunday’s qualifications.
Engine Parody
Unlike the qualifying times, there was a parody between the engine suppliers on the speed charts during this practice. Andretti, Dixon, Hunter-Reay, Ferrucci, Marcus Ericsson, and Alex Palou were the fastest five drivers behind the wheel of Honda-powered Indy cars.
Castroneves, Conor Daly, Pato O’Ward, and Ed Carpenter made up the remaining positions, all having Chevrolet engines.
Dixon’s Spin and Recovery
Dixon slides into the fourth turn’s SAFER barrier at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. (Credit: Joe Skibinski/IndyCar Media)
Five-time NTT IndyCar Series Champion Scott Dixon ended the day third on the speed charts with a 223.686MPH lap. That time doesn’t paint the entire picture, however.
Dixon spun exiting turn 4 early the session and damaged three of the four corners on his PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. However, his No. 9 team was able to repair the car within an hour’s time.
Dixon re-entered the course and promptly moved to his time on the charts to first-place. Dixon held the fastest lap in the session until Andretti and Castroneves topped his time late in the day.
This incident was just the second spin on-course during Indy 500 practice and including qualifying.
Other Details
Fernando Alonso finished the day in 11th-place with an average speed of 222.353MPH. During the session, Alonso spun on the pit lane leaving his pit stall. No damage was sustained.
James Davison did not take time during the practice as he was in Daytona, racing a Rick Ware Racing entry in the inaugural NASCAR Cup race from the Daytona International Speedway road course. Despite not being in Indy, his Dale Coyne Racing pit crew practiced pit stops during the session.
Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway marked the last on-track activity until Friday’s annual Carb Day festivities, with it being the final practice prior to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Andretti’s car gets pulled through Gasoline Alley last week. (Credit: James Black/IndyCar Media)
Results
Pos.: Driver (No.) Team – Best MPH Average
Single Lap Averages
1: Marco Andretti (98) Andretti Herta Autosport – 224.122MPH
2: Helio Castroneves (3) Team Penske – 224.067MPH
3: Scott Dixon (9) PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing – 223.686MPH
4: Ryan Hunter-Reay (28) Andretti Autosport – 223.327
5: Santino Ferrucci (18) Dale Coyne w/ Vasser-Sullivan – 223.127MPH
6: Conor Daly (47) Ed Carpenter Racing – 223.063MPH
7: Marcus Ericsson (8) Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing – 222.857MPH
8: Pato O’Ward [R](5) Arrow McLaren SP – 222.760MPH
9: Ed Carpenter (20) Ed Carpenter Racing – 222.479MPH
10: Alex Palou [R](55) Dale Coyne w/ Team Goh – 222.409MPH
11: Fernando Alonso (66) Arrow McLaren SP – 222.353MPH
12: Alexander Rossi (27) Andretti Autosport – 222.349MPH
13: Will Power (12) Team Penske – 222.115MPH
14: Zach Veach (26) Andretti Autosport – 221.994MPH
15: J.R. Hildebrand (67) Dreyer & Reinbold Racing – 221.852MPH
16: Felix Rosenqvist (10) NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing – 221.827MPH
17: Spencer Pigot (45) RLL w/ Citrone-Buhl Autosport – 221.691MPH
18: Max Chilton (59) Carlin – 221.507MPH
19: Rinus VeeKay [R](21) Ed Carpenter Racing – 221.488MPH
20: Josef Newgarden (1) Team Penske – 221.488MPH
21: Colton Herta (88) Andretti Harding Steinbrenner – 221.416MPH
22: Tony Kanaan (14) A.J. Foyt Enterprises – 221.274MPH
23: Simon Pagenaud (22) Team Penske – 221.174MPH
24: Sage Karam (24) Dreyer & Reinbold Racing – 220.826MPH
25: Dalton Kellett [R](41) A.J. Foyt Enterprises – 220.773MPH
26: Takuma Sato (30) Rahal Letterman Lanigan – 220.747MPH
27: Jack Harvey (60) Meyer Shank Racing – 220.746MPH
28: James Hinchcliffe (29) Andretti Autosport – 220.360MPH
29: Oliver Askew [R](7) Arrow McLaren SP – 220.292MPH
30: Graham Rahal (15) Rahal Letterman Lanigan – 220.235MPH
31: Charlie Kimball (4) A.J. Foyt Enterprises – 219.602MPH
32: Ben Hanley (81) DragonSpeed USA – 217.640MPH
33: James Davison (51) Dale Coyne w/ Ware, Byrd & Belardi – No Speed
The official IndyCar report on this session can be found below.
104th Indianapolis 500 Practice 6 Results (PDF).
Qualifying results can be found here.
