New look, solid start to Josef Newgarden’s bid of the elusive Indy 500 triumph. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
SPEEDWAY, Ind. – The aura and prestige of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway kicked into high gear once again as INDYCAR had its opening day of testing for the 107th Indianapolis 500.
33 brave men and women arrived at the 2.5-mile oval hoping to set an early tone for what is yet to come next month. After 8.5 hours of incident-free action, it was Josef Newgarden who led the way in overall practice.
Logging 93 laps during Thursday’s session, the two-time INDYCAR champion’s fastest time took place on his 52nd lap where he clocked in at 39.5281 seconds, good enough for speeds of 227.686 mph.
Newgarden’s time bested Conor Daly’s speed of 227.466 mph as both were the only racers who reached the 227 mph barrier.
Rounding out the top-five in the session were 2008 Indy 500 champion Scott Dixon, who was the top Honda driver of the day, followed by fellow Honda drivers Kyle Kirkwood, INDYCAR’s newest winner, and two-time 500 champion Takuma Sato.
Defending Indy 500 champion Marcus Ericson ran 300 miles (120 laps), the most out of everyone who partook in testing, but only salvaged a best speed of 224.537 mph, only enough to place him 18th fastest.
Marcus Ericsson returns to IMS as the reigning Indy 500 champion. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
For Newgarden, it is no secret that the Borg-Warner Trophy is the one prize that’s eluded him. Following a day full of hard work, Newgarden’s confidence is through the roof. So much, he wished the 107th Indy 500 was tomorrow.
“Great day. Really great day. You know, I wish it was like race day today. But you don’t get to choose those,” said Newgarden. “You know, you got to show up on that day and be really good. But I told the team, I said if this was race, they don’t touch it. It’s very good. And sometimes you have that around your you know, you show up and sometimes the cars just great and sometimes you got to work on it.
“Today it was one of those really good days we got through a list as well. We learned a lot, which is always positive. You know, sometimes you can go in circles around here and sometimes you’re inefficient.”
Likewise, Newgarden was pleased with his team’s strategy, approach and execution ahead of the “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
“Today, I felt like as a team we were very efficient with our time,” he said. “We split everything up, divided and conquered. So really, really happy for Team Penske today and feel good for next month for the big race.”
Another stand out from Thursday was Indy 500 veteran Stefan Wilson, who was sixth quickest in the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold and Cusick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Wilson, who ran 140 laps, including the refresher orientation, explained how he felt accomplished by doing a lot more than he expected. A large portion of it was positive, especially for an organization that solely focuses on the Month of May.
“I think it’s nice to be in a stronger positive window. You know, the cars in a decent window right now, I think we need to refine it. But you know, we’re not from the kitchen sink at it,” said Wilson. “That’s a good place to be where you check in boxes going through the program. Maybe we’ll see what happens tomorrow. And maybe it gets some time. Maybe not. But everything done.
“We actually didn’t expect any running tomorrow. So we tried to just cram it all in today. You know, and if tomorrow happens, then that’s a bonus. Really appreciate all the work that Dreyer & Reinbold have done. All the crew just done an amazing job to prepare for better cars and having done 140 laps today after not running a lap since then last year, so hats off to them.”
With concerns of rain impacting Friday’s session, this may have been the only chance for the field to get an early feel of how their car fared. All of these lead up to next month’s ultimate prize, competing in the Indy 500.
Nine drivers who’ve won the Indianapolis 500 will compete in the 107th renewal. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
Should weather become uncooperative, it could be bad news for Juncos Hollinger Racing. Notably, Callum Ilott was at the bottom of the test sheet.
Ilott only ran 10 laps with his best speed being a measly 212.269 mph during the main afternoon session. A drastic decline compared to his morning veterans test where he reached a personal best of 220.911 mph.
There was a reason behind the British driver’s woes as he explained to INDYCAR Radio’s Ryan Myrehn. His No. 77 Chevrolet was a new chassis that simply isn’t up to par.
“I noticed something in the morning and we were getting away with it. Then it just got worse, and worse, and worse,” said Ilott. “I can’t even go in a straight line, so imagine when I get around the corners. It’s just horrible and a shame because I can’t do more than two laps or get up to speed.
“The run before, I couldn’t get more than 205 and the run before that was 212. This (recent run), I didn’t even want to go above 200. Will see what we can do tonight with what got and strip everything. Maybe try to get some new parts and see what it is. I reckon it’s something on the front end.”
Ilott added that it was not just himself dealing with these problems, but also his teammate Agustin Canapino, who ran 30 laps and was 27th quickest at 222.162 mph. If things do not improve on Friday, it will be time to go back to the drawing board or as Ilott told Myrehn on-air, “in the trash can.”
Callum Ilott hopes for a better Friday at Indianapolis. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
Despite not partaking in testing, RC Enerson’s No. 50 Abel Motorsports entry will show up at IMS next month, making the entry list for the 500 up to 34 cars. As such, this will stir up fighting for bragging rights to be a part of “The Fastest 33.”
With rain cancelling Day 2 of the Open Test session, drivers and teams shift their mindsets toward preparing for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park (Sunday, Apr. 29 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC). Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be bustling with action on Friday, May 12 with practice and qualifying for the GMR Grand Prix on Saturday, May 13.
