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Racer magazine’s Marshall Pruett and driver Sebastien Bourdais speak of Indy Practice…
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…Day 1:
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Wednesday at Indianapolis - Day Two of practice for the Indy 500 is complete…
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…but not without incident, as we had two cars into thw walls today, with heavy damage but thankfully no injuries, as Fernando Alonso for McLaren Racing and Felix Rosenqvist for Chi[p Ganassi Racing both averted injury but destroyed lots of carbon fiber.
The day started early, with Patricio O’Ward allowed to go out alone and complete his rookie orientation in 3 phases. Pato was unable to go out Tuesday when his # 31 Chevy for Carlin had a mechanical that kept him from turning laps with the other rookies. O’Ward breezed through ROP and joined everyone else for the P-2 session - 36 cars on track today.
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Here was the order of speed for the Indycars P-2 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie; times are with a tow from a preceding car.
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1 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 00:39.3260s for a speed of 228.856mph
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2 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 00:39.3296s for a speed of 228.835mph
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3 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 00:39.3601s for a speed of 228.658mph
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4 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing - time of 00:39.3768s for a speed of 228.561mph
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5 - Helio Castroneves, Team Penske - time of 00:39.3975s for a speed of 228.441mph
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6 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
7 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
8 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
9 - Ed Jones, Ed Carpenter Racing
10 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing
11 - Kyle Kaiser, Juncos Racing
12 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
13 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport
14 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
15 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
16 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
17 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
18 - Conor Daly, Andretti Autosport
19 - Oriol Servia, Team Stange w/ Arrow SPM
20 - JR Hildebrand, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
21 - Will Power, Team Penske
22 - Pato O’Ward [R], Carlin
23 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Arrow SPM
24 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
25 - James Davison, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Byrd, Hollinger, Belardi
26 - Sage Karam, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
27 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
28 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
29 - Fernando Alonso, McLaren Racing
30 - Max Chilton, Carlin
31 - Jordan King, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
32 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
33 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing
34 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
35 - Pippa Mann, Clauson-Marshall Racing
36 - Ben Hanley [R], DragonSpeed Racing
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Notable:
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All 36 cars circulated the Speedway within less than a second of each other.
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The fastest car without a tow today was Alexander Rossi in the # 27 Andretti Autosport Honda, with a no-tow speed of 224.648 miles per hour. Confident that he had the speed both in and out of traffic, he put in far less time than most, resulting in his low overall showing.
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Doing exceptionally well for a small team is Juncos Racing, with 2017 Lights Champion Kyle Kaiser in P11.
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Best rookie was Santino Ferrucci for Dale Coyne - and excellent P4 on the day, and a tiny bit faster than his veteran teammate, Sebastien Bourdais.
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Best team was Ed Carpenter Racing, which put all three drivers in the TOP TEN
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A good mix of Chevys (6 of 'em) and Hondas (4) in the TOP TEN, with Newgy’s Chevy on top for Team Penske, following teammate Will Power’s P1 on Tuesday.
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Struggling still are small teams Clauson-Marshal and DragonSpeed. If they don’t find more speed they will risk being bumped. Pippa Mann has qualified well before and knows how to go fast, if they give her the car, but Ben Hanley is a true rookie here and will have to dig deep.
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Left to right, Josef Newgarden, Pippa Mann and Ben Hanley
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On Monday, the Road to Indy took over Lucas Oil Raceway…
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…as USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000 each held three test sesssions on the 0.686-mile oval just outside of Indianapolis - the sight of the Freedom 75 USF2000 race and the Freedom 90 Indy Pro 2000 race, both to be held on May 24th - Carb Day for the Indy 500.
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The oval at Lucas Oil Raceway
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Starting with the kids from USF2000, we have combined all three test sessions to give you the speed order of the day.
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Here is the order of speed for USF2000 test sessions 1, 2 and 3 COMBINED, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie; the session is in ( )
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1 - Manuel Cabrera [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 00:22.1141s for a speed of 111.675mph (1)
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2 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R], Pabst Racing - time of 00:22.1174s for a speed of 111.659mph (2)
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3 - Colin Kaminsky, Pabst Racing - time of 00:22.1256s for a speed of 111.617mph (1)
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4 - Jak Crawford [R], DEForce Racing - time of 00:22.2141s for a speed of 111.173mph (3)
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5 - Hunter McElrea [R], Pabst Racing - time of 00:22.2410s for a speed of 111.038mph (2)
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6 - Braden Eves [R], Cape Motorsports (2)
7 - Jack William Miller [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports (3)
8 - Darren Keane, Cape Motorsports (3)
9 - Nolan Siegel [R], Newman Wachs Racing (3)
10 - Alex Baron, Legacy Autosport (3)
11 - Eduardo Barrichello [R], Miller Vinatieri Motorsports (3)
12 - Reece Gold [R], Cape Motorsports (3)
13 - Cameron Shields [R], Newman Wachs Racing (3)
14 - Christian Rasmussen [R], Jay Howard Driver Development (3)
15 - Manuel Sulaiman [R], DEForce Racing (3)
16 - Zach Holden, BN Racing (3)
17 - Bruna Tomaselli, Pabst Racing (1)
18 - Matthew Round-Garrido [R], Jay Howard Driver Development (3)
19 - Christian Bogle [R], Jay Howard Driver Development (1)
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Notable:
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For many of these drivers this will be their first oval race ever. Road course aces may struggle while others rise to the top, for the first time.
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Manuel Cabrera TOPPED overall and session 1. Yuven Sundaramoorthy TOPPED session 2 and young Jak Crawford TOPPED session 3. Despite his age of 14 years old, Crawford has race WINS in Legends cars, so he knows ovals.
"Manu" Cabrera
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In addition to the test time, the Road to Indy always holds an oval racing clinic for the young drivers from both USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000, with tons of advice from seasoned oval racers. This year, among the featured clinicians were Johnny Unser and Tony Kanaan.
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The oval clinic at Lucas, with Professor Kanaan in the center, in blue
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continued…
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On Monday, the Road to Indy took over Lucas Oil Raceway…(part 2)…
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Next, let’s look at the guys from Indy Pro 2000.
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Here is the order of speed for Indy Pro 2000 test sessions 1, 2 and 3 COMBINED, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie; the session is in ( )
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1 - Danial Frost [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 00:20.2860s for a speed of 121.739mph (2)
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2 - Nikita Lastochkin, Exclusive Autosport - time of 00:20.7516s for a speed of 119.008mph (2)
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3 - Moises de la Vara [R], DEForce Racing - time of 00:20.7641s for a speed of 118.936mph (3)
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4 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], RP Motorsport Racing - time of 00:20.8025s for a speed of 118.717mph (3)
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5 - Jacob Abel [R], Abel Motorsports - time of 00:20.8098s for a speed of 118.675mph (3)
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6 - Rasmus Lindh [R], Juncos Racing (2)
7 - Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Racing (3)
8 - Parker Thompson, Abel Motorsports (2)
9 - Antonio Serravalle, Pserra Racing w/Jay Howard Driver Development (3)
10 - Ian Rodriguez [R], RP Motorsport Racing (3)
11 - Charles Finelli, FatBoy Racing! (3)
12 - Phillippe Denes, FatBoy Racing! (3)
13 - Kory Enders [R], DEForce Racing (1)
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Notable:
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We expect veteran Nikita Lastochkin to do this well, but Danial Frost is from Singapore, where they don’t have oval races, yet he TOPPED all three sessions. Spooky good.
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For some reason veteran Kory Enders fell on his face, here, and he has had success on ovals before. He should be TOP FIVE.
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Danial Frost (left) and Kory Enders
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The third series in the Road to Indy - the Indy Lights - will get their own practice on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval on May 20th, as that is where the Freedom 100 will be held, on Carb Day, May 24th.
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Racer magazine’s Marshall Pruett and Sebastien Bourdais discuss Day Two at Indy…
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Good stuff, guys. Thanks.
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Here is video of the Fernando Alonso crash on Wednesday at the Speedway…
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As bad as that was, worse looking was the Felix Rosenqvist crash, as both Will Power and Jack Harvey had to avoid the damaged and spinning car at very high speed. It was miracle that no one was hurt. We are looking for good video of it but we have this short version of it:
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Here is a link to the Felix Rosenqvist crash on Wednesday…
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The NBC commentators are Kevin Lee, Anders Krohn and Robin Miller. You may have to watch a commrcial, first, then the video will follow:
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https://www.nbcsports.com/video/felix-rosenqvist-endures-hard-hit-during-indianapolis-500-practice
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Watch closely. You will see a piece of debris go back and explode against Jack Harvey’s rear wing.
Hang with it. Right after, Felix comments on the crash, then Fernando Alonso comments on his own crash.
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Thursday at Indianapolis - Day 3 of practice brings yet another shunt…
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Day 3 was hotter than the previous two days and the speeds were maginally slower, as a result, but that didn’t help Patricio O’Ward, who had a shunt in Turn 2 very much like Felix Rosenqvist’s Wednesday crash, but with even worse results, as Pato took off and nearly ended up on his roll hoop. Luckily, he did not and the kid walked away unhurt.
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Here was the order of speed for the Indycars P-3 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie; times are with a tow from a preceding car.
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1 - Ed Jones, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 00:39.5008s for a speed of 227.843mph
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2 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 00:39.7002s for a speed of 226.699mph
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3 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport - time of 00:39.8107s for a speed of 226.070mph
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4 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan - time of 00:39.8238s for a speed of 225.996mph
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5 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing - time of 00:39.9188s for a speed of 225.458mph
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6 - Sage Karam, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
7 - Kyle Kaiser, Juncos Racing
8 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing
9 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
10 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
11 - Helio Castroneves, Team Penske
12 - James Davison, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Byrd, Hollinger, Belardi
13 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing
14 - Will Power, Team Penske
15 - Max Chilton, Carlin
16 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
17 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport
18 - JR Hildebrand, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
19 - Conor Daly, Andretti Autosport
20 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
21 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
22 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
23 - Patricio O’Ward [R], Carlin
24 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
25 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
26 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Arrow SPM
27 - Pippa Mann, Clauson-Marshall Racing
28 - Oriol Servia, Team Stange w/ Arrow SPM
29 - Jordan King, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
30 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
31 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
32 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
33 - Ben Hanley [R], DragonSpeed Racing
34 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
35 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing
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Notable:
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Ed not only put in the fastest time with a tow, but he also TOPPED the no-tow list, too, with a speed of 224.957 miles per hour. Making it even better, P2 on the no-tow list today was Ed’s teammate, Spencer Pigot - Ed Carpenter Racing has it going on.
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P3, P4 and P5 on the no-tow list were Simon Pagenaud for Team Penske, Will Power for Team Penske and Charlie Kimball for Carlin, respectively. All three are always fast at Indy.
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Small team Juncos Racing is killing it with 2017 Indy Lights Champ Kyle Kaiser and Sage Karam for Dreyer & Reinbold is yet another guy who is always fast at Indy.
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The speedy version of JD Davison for Dale Coyne Racing w/ Byrd, Hollinger, Belardi that we are also used to finally showed up today, but he is also last on the no-tow list, so he will have to dig to qualify.
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Zach Veach continues to be the fastest Andretti guy and he is safely mid-pack on the no-tow list.
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Pippa Mann with Clauson-Marshall found some speed today and is safer on both lists than she has been. Ben Hanley was even better on the no-tow list, where he slotted in at a good P17.
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No-Tow TOP THREE (left to right) Ed Jones, Spencer Pigot and Simon Pagenaud
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Everyone will get an additional 50 horsepower for testing on Friday, just as they will for Saturday and Sunday qualifying. The No-Tow list becomes much more critical as qualifying looms ahead.
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Here is video of the Patricio O’Ward crash at Indy on Thursday…
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…and it’s clearly a hard hit. Thank God for the SAFER barrier and the stout Dallara DW-12 chassis. Those and the HANS device that Pato was wearing saved him from any injury.
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On seeing a replay of the crash, Pato was himself quite amazed at the violence of the shunt.
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Racer magazine’s Marshall Pruett and driver Sebastien Bourdais discuss Day 3 at Indy…
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Friday at Indianapolis - Fast Friday bites another car…
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They call it “Fast Friday” because IndyCar gives the cars an extra bit of turbo boost, which adds about 50 horsepower to the engines, as they will on Saturday and Sunday for qualifying. Unfortunately, much of the day was lost, as lightning strikes nearby shut down the action, mid-day, but finally the teams got about an hour and a half of running in late.
Another car hit the wall with great force today as Kyle Kaiser for Juncos Racing almost ended up on his head when the # 32 Chevrolet let go in Turn 3 early in the day. The car finally cam to rest on its belly, but it looks like a total write-off and Juncos will be scrambling to put a spare in the show. As with the other unfortunate drivers, Kaiser was lucky to walk away from the shunt unharmed. It’s a great shame, as Kaiser was TOP TEN every day until now and was looking great for qualifying.
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Here was the order of speed for the Indycars P-4 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie; times are with a tow from a preceding car.
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1 - Conor Daly, Andretti Autosport - time of 00:38.8426s for a speed of 231.704mph
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2 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport - time of 00:38.9862s for a speed of 230.851mph
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3 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 00:39.0024s for a speed of 230.755mph
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4 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing - time of 00:39.0504s for a speed of 230.471mph
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5 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport - time of 00:39.0513s for a speed of 230.466mph
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6 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing
7 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske
8 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
9 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
10 - Ed Jones, Ed Carpenter Racing
11 - Will Power, Team Penske
12 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
13 - Sage Karam, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
14 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
15 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan
16 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
17 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
18 - Helio Castroneves, Team Penske
19 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing
20 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
21 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Arrow SPM
22 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
23 - James Davison, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Byrd, Hollinger, Belardi
24 - Fernando Alonso, McLaren Racing
25 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing
26 - JR Hildebrand, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (48)
27 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
28 - Oriol Servia, Team Stange w/ Arrow SPM
29 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
30 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
31 - Pippa Mann, Clauson-Marshall Racing
32 - Jordan King, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
33 - Max Chilton, Carlin
34 - Patricio O’Ward [R], Carlin
35 - Ben Hanley [R], DragonSpeed Racing
36 - JR Hildebrand, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (24)
37 - Kyle Kaiser, Juncos Racing
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Notable:
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Conor’s time came late in the day. It is the fastest time yet put up during the week.
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Conor’s Andretti teammates, Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay, also put up their best times of the week, while Takuma Sato remains one of the fastest Hondas all week.
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JR Hildebrand drove in two cars - His own # 48 and in teammate Sage Karam’s # 24, just to prove the ability of the car. Sage then went out and put in his best time of the week, so far.
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Pato O’Ward was able to turn laps in the replacement # 31 car today, but he wasn’t fast in it, at 227.513 miles per hour. Carlin will need to dig to qualify the car.
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Fastest No-Tow car was once again Ed Jones for Ed Carpenter Racing with a speed of 230.106 miles per hour - the fastest No-Tow time yet and the only 230mph No-Tow speed. P2 on the No-Tow list was Ed Carpenter himself, while P3 was Alexander Rossi, just 0.001 mile per hour slower than Carpenter. P4 and P5 were Will Power and Simon Pagenaud, respectively.
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The entire field was within 1 second of each other, with the exception of Kaiser, who crashed on his 1st lap running.
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(left to right) Conor Daly, Ed Jones and Kyle Kaiser
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The first round of qualifying will be on Saturday, 11:00am EASTERN time.
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IndyCar has released Fast Driday highlights…
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…and they include Kyle Kaiser’s shunt, and some anxious moments for both Ryan Hunter-Reay for Andretti Autosport and Graham Rahal for Rahal Letterman Lanigan. Take a look:
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Racer magazine’s Marshall Pruett and driver Sebastien Bourdais give their take on Fast Friday…
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Good stuff. Thanks guys.
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Saturday at Indianapolis - the TOP THIRTY are in!..
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Today, qualifying began in good weather and the TOP 30 cars that will be locked into the race were set, as were the contenders for the TOP 9. On Sunday, those TOP 9 will contend for the pole, if the weather cooperates. If not, then the TOP 9 as they are now will be set as the first three rows of the race on the grid, and Spencer Pigot - today’s fastest driver - will be on pole for Ed Carpenter Racing.
On the next good weather day - hopefully Sunday - the last row, spots P31, P32 and P33, will be set among the six drivers who didn’t make the TOP 30 today. The grid spots P10 through P30 were set today.
Qualifying is simple: Each car goes out one at a time and runs a warm-up lap followed by 4 hot laps. The speeds of those four laps are averaged and grid positions are assigned based on them, with the fastest driver on the pole.
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Here were the TOP 9 qualifyers for the 2019 Indy 500, with 4-lap average speeds for all. They should compete for grid spots 1-9, including the pole, on Sunday, weather permitting: [R] denotes rookie
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1 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing - speed of 230.083mph
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2 - Will Power, Team Penske - speed of 230.081mph
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3 - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske - speed of 229.854mph
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4 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - speed of 229.749mph
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5 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing - speed of 229.478mph
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6 - Ed Jones, Ed Carpenter Racing - speed of 229.440mph
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7 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing - speed of 229.349mph
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8 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - speed of 229.268mph
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9 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan - speed of 228.800mph
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Here are qualifiers P10 through P30 in their set grid positions for the race:
Row 4
P10 - Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport
P11 - Conor Daly, Andretti Autosport
P12 - Helio Castroneves, Team Penske
Row 5
P13 - Marcus Ericsson [R], Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
P14 - Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P15 - James Davison, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Byrd, Hollinger, Belardi
Row 6
P16 - Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
P17 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P18 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
Row 7
P19 - Oriol Servia, Team Stange w/ Arrow SPM
P20 - Charlie Kimball, Carlin
P21 - JR Hildebrand, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Row 8
P22 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport
P23 - Santino Ferrucci [R], Dale Coyne Racing
P24 - Matheus Leist, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Row 9
P25 - Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Arrow SPM
P26 - Jordan King, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P27 - Ben Hanley [R], DragonSpeed Racing
Row 10
P28 - Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport
P29 - Felix Rosenqvist [R], Chip Ganassi Racing
P30 - Pippa Mann, Clauson-Marshall Racing
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Here are the 6 drivers not yet qualified who will vie for grid spots P31, P32 and P33:
- James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
- Max Chilton, Carlin
- Patricio O’Ward [R], Carlin
- Kyle Kaiser, Juncos Racing
- Sage Karam, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
- Fernando Alonso, McLaren Racing
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Notable:
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Pigot put in his speed lap early in the day when the track was cooler, as did most of the TOP 9. As the day wore on the track heated up and the speeds fell, to the point that some top performers all week were struggling to make the grade.
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James Hinchcliffe wrecked in Turn 2 very badly during his 1st attempt to qualify. He walked away, allbeit with a little limp. The Arrow SPM team was able to ready a back-up car for him to try to get in the show later in the day, but the car wasn’t fast enough to make the TOP 30, despite 4 attempts to do so.
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Pato O’Ward got his back-up on track as did Kyle Kaiser, who wrecked on Friday, but neither car was fast enough to make the TOP 30 today. Both made three attempts to get in.
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Sage Karam was able to put in very fast first laps but each of his subsequent laps fell off quickly and he wasn’t able to make the show, as a result.
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Fernando Alonso got in twice but was bumped out both times - the last time just seconds before quaifying ended for the day. He put in 4 attempts to get in.
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Top qualifier Spencer Pigot (left) James Hinchcliffe and Fernando Alonso (right)
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Weather permitting, on Sunday there will be a practice for the TOP 9 shootout, followed by a practice for the last row shootout. Following those, the last row - the last three grid spots - will be contested, with 1 attempt by each of the 6 not qualified. If the weather is lousy, this will be put off every day following until it gets done.
Then, the TOP 9 shootout will be held, setting the grid spots for the first three rows and with it, the pole, with 1 attempt for each car. If the weather is lousy, today’s order of speed will be used, instead to set the spots and the pole.
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Finally, there will be a practice for all 33 of the qualified cars - again, wearher permitting
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IndyCar has released a Qualifying Day 1 highlights reel…
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Racer magazine’s Robin Miller and driver Sebastien Bourdais speak of qualifying on Saturday…
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Sunday morning at Indianapolis - The last row guys hold a final practice…
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Five of the six cars that will eventually be contesting for the three available spots on the last row came out this morning to hold a practice, in anticipation of the Last Row Shootout, which may or may not be held today, weather dependant. Kyle Kaiser’s # 32 Juncos Racing Chevrolet elected not to practice, but instead devote the time to massaging the car.
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Here was the order of speed for the Last Row Shootout practice session, with times for all: [R] denotes rookie; speeds are No-Tow speeds
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1 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports - speed of 228.125mph
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2 - Sage Karam, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing - speed of 228.082mph
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3 - Max Chilton, Carlin - speed of 227.403mph
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4 - Patricio O’Ward [R], Carlin - speed of speed of 224.821mph
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5 - Fernando Alonso, McLaren Racing - speed of 223.309mph
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Notable:
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The session was cut short due to rain. Before the rain started Hinchcliffe got in 12 laps, Chilton 11 laps, O’Ward 9 laps and Fernando Alonso only got in 6 laps, but Sage Karam only got in 7 laps and found speed, anyway.
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The story now is that McLaren Racing is looking for another car to run - possibly a Chevy from Ed Carpenter racing. If true, it is a little too late in the game.
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Again, Juncos Racing elected to use the time to massage their car for Kyle Kaiser, rather than use up tires and the engine in practice.
James Hinchcliffe (left) and Kyle Kaiser
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The Fast 9 Shootout practice was scheduled to follow the Last Row Shootout practice, but it is raining at Indy, right now, and unless it abates, there will be no Fast 9 Shootout, and the first three rows of the grid will be set, based on Saturday qualifying, with Spencer Pigot on the pole.
Spencer Pigot
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Unlike the Fast 9, the Last Row Shootout must be done, and on the first available day, so if it is not today, they will try on Monday or even Tuesday, if necessary.
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Sunday at Indianapolis - the Last Row Shootout gets in…
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The rain stopped, mid-day and the track dried, so it was agme on, and the 6 unqualified cars came out to do the Last Row Shootout. It was a simple procedure: Each car went out for 1 try at getting in - a warm-up lap, followed by 4 hot laps. The three fastest cars made the show, this year, and the other three are going home.
Here were the TOP THREE cars in the IndyCar Last Row Shootout, with their speeds: speed is an average of the four laps; the car’s grid spot is given.
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P31 - Sage Karam, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing - speed of 227.740mph
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P32 - James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports - speed of 227.543mph
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P33 - Kyle Kaiser, Juncos Racing - speed of 227.372mph
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The three drivers who were bumped out of the 103rd Indy 500 were 4th fastest Fernando Alonso for McLaren Racing, 5th fastest Patricio O’Ward for Carlin and 6th fastest Max Chilton for Carlin.
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Notable:
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Kyle Kaiser was the last to make his attempt and he bumped Fernando Alonso out with his gutsy run. He was 0.019 seconds faster than the Spaniard. As much as the crowd wanted Alonso to make the race, when Kaiser completed his run the place erupted with a cheer, as the small Juncos Racing team had overcome so much to get him in.
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Max Chilton led the 2018 Indy 500 for more laps than anyone else and teammate Charlie Kimball easily made the race, this year, so he was mystified why both he and teammate Pato O’Ward could not get their cars up to speed, as both flat-footed it around the oval for all four laps. The cars just didn’t have the speed.
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Both Karam and Kaiser were clearly overcome with emotion after the Shootout. When Kaiser got in the Juncos team errupted in celebration in the pit lane, for their huge accomplishment of getting the road course back-up car in the show.
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Kyle’s team went bananas when he took the checkered flag
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The guys going home - (left to right) Fernando Alonso, Pato O’Ward and Max Chilton.
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Following the Last Row Shootout, the Fast 9 Shootout was held…
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Sunday at Indianapolis - The Fast 9 Shootout sets the pole…
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Following the Last Row Shootout, the Fast 9 Shootout to set the first three rows was held, without giving the cars a final practice session. The procedure was the same as the Last Row Shootout: Each car got 1 attempt, with a warm-up lap, followed by 4 hot laps. The speeds were averaged and the fastest guy was on the pole. When the smoke cleared it was Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud on the pole for the first time in his career.
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Here is the way the TOP NINE cars will grid for the 103rd Indy 500, with speeds for all: [R] denotes rookie; the driver’s grid position is given
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Pole - Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske - speed of 229.992mph
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P2 - Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing - speed of 229.899mph
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P3 - Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing - speed of 229.826mph
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P4 - Ed Jones, Ed Carpenter Racing - speed of 229.646mph
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P5 - Colton Herta [R], Harding Steinbrenner Racing - speed of 229.086mph
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P6 - Will Power, Team Penske - speed of 228.645mph
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P7 - Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser Sullivan - speed of 228.621mph
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P8 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - speed of 228.396mph
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P9 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - speed of 228.247mph
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Notable:
- Ed Carpenter held pole for much of the Shootout and he and his teammates are all grouped together, so the ECR team has to be considered the favorite, as of right now. They just don’t have any weaknesses.
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The Speedway was going to conduct a full practice for all 33 starters, following the Shootouts, but as they ran late in the day that practice was cancelled. Monday already has a final two-hour practice scheduled. Part of the day on Monday will also be devoted to the Indy Lights, who will race on Friday - Carb Day.
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IndyCar has released Day 2 Qualifying highlights…
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…including coverage of the Last Row Shootout and the Fast 9 Shootout. Take a look:
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