Three-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou returned to the top of the speed charts Monday in 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge practice, as drivers and teams focused on race setups after two fast and feverish days of qualifying.
Series points leader Palou, who has won four of the first five races this season, led at 226.765 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda as drivers ran in thick packs of traffic around the 2.5-mile oval, a marked contrast from the solo contests of pure speed during the last two days of PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying. Palou will start sixth in the race Sunday, May 25.
SEE: Practice Results
”A great day for the No. 10 DHL Honda,” Palou said. “Back to traffic running, and the car felt really good. We ended up P1. It doesn’t mean much, but you always take a P1 in any session at the Speedway.
“I’m feeling really comfortable. There’s still a lot of work to do, and I guess for everybody else, as well. It’s not easy to be in traffic and overtake, but I’m really comfortable. I’m able to overtake. I’m ready for Carb Day.”
This was the last on-track session until the final two-hour practice before Race Day, Miller Lite Carb Day this Friday. That session takes place from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., followed by the annual Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).
Four-time “500” winner Helio Castroneves was second at 226.441 in the No. 06 Cliffs Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian. Castroneves, starting 22nd, is attempting to become the first driver to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” five times.
Two-time “500” winner Takuma Sato was third at 226.087 in the No. 75 AMADA Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Sato, 48, or Castroneves, 50, would become the oldest winner in “500” history this Sunday (10 a.m. FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).
Jack Harvey, who will start 26th, jumped to fourth in race setup at 226.048 in the No. 24 DRR CUSICK INVEST Chevrolet, the fastest Chevy-powered driver of the day. His teammate, 2014 “500” winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, rounded out the top five at 225.969 in the No. 23 DRR CUSICK WEDBUSH SECURITIES Chevrolet.
Shock pole winner Robert Shwartzman, a “500” rookie in his first-ever oval race, ended up 26th at 222.561 in the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet.
The two-hour practice took place under partly cloudy skies and air temperatures in the mid-70s. There was one incident, 12 minutes into the session, involving Christian Rasmussen of Ed Carpenter Racing.
Rasmussen made light contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2. His No. 21 ECR Splenda Chevrolet then wobbled and spun into the grass on the backstretch and made secondary contact with the inside wall. The car suffered minor damage. Rasmussen was unhurt.
