Takuma Sato turned in the fastest lap in Tuesday’s practice for the upcoming Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo: Penske Entertainment: Walt Kuhn
Takuma Sato ripped off a lap of 228.939 mph in the final five minutes Tuesday to lead the opening day of practice for the 106th Indianapolis 500.
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Sato used the benefit of an aerodynamic tow on the 2.5-mile oval to lead the speed charts by more than 1 mph in the No. 51 Honda. Scott Dixon was second at 227.768, leading four Chip Ganassi Racing drivers in the top six.
“We had a big tow,” Sato said. “In Happy Hour, if you have new tires, I think you can do that. I’m pretty happy today.
“To be honest, this morning wasn’t as smooth as we wished. We had to go back to the garage and check up on lots of things because there was something we were not very happy with. But in the end, in the afternoon we quickly turned on good speed. I’m very happy with the 51 car. Dale Coyne Racing did a good job.”
Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson opened preparations for his first start in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” by ending up third at 227.722 in the No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Johnson was a series rookie last season but only competed on road and street courses. He made his IndyCar oval debut March 20 at Texas Motor Speedway.
“We have a really good race car,” Johnson said. “It’s just trying to work through extremes for me. What is a low trim setting? What’s a high trim setting? What’s mechanically tight? What’s mechanically free? Just trying to work through some of those big-picture things.
“All in all, a really good day. I feel like where we ended in this session gives me a lot of confidence for working forward.”
Marcus Ericsson was fourth at 227.094, with Rinus VeeKay rounding out the top five at 226.995.
Reigning series champion Alex Palou completed the Chip Ganassi Racing domination of the top of the speed chart, ending up sixth at 226.973.
Veteran practice was divided into two sessions, with two hours of running in the morning and three hours in the afternoon. Dixon was fastest in the morning at 227.119.
VeeKay was the fastest driver without an aerodynamic tow, with a top solo lap of 221.551 mph. Ed Carpenter was second on the no-tow list at 220.869, with Johnson third at 220.724.
Thirty-three drivers combined to turn 3,229 incident-free laps under sunny skies during the two veteran practice sessions today. Veteran Stefan Wilson completed his refresher test during a midday session and then participated briefly in the afternoon open practice session.
Dalton Kellett turned 149 laps, more than any other driver.
Practice resumes from noon-6 p.m. (ET) Wednesday, with qualifying this Saturday and Sunday. The 106th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 29.
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