McLaughlin, Palou “Share” P1 during final day of 109th Indy 500 Open Test
The 109th Indianapolis 500 is set for Sunday, May 25. Coverage begins at 10 a.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes and the FOX Sports app. Photo courtesy of the NTT IndyCar Series.
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
Scott McLaughlin and Alex Palou took turns atop the speed chart Thursday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during Day 2 of the Indianapolis 500 Open Test featuring two segments with distinct engine performance parameters.
Scott McLaughlin was fastest during the morning session on Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His top lap was 232.686 mph in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet, which was the fastest trip around the 2.5-mile oval in two days of testing this week. Photo courtesy of the NTT IndyCar Series.
Team Penske’s McLaughlin, the reigning Indy 500 pole-winner, was fastest during the morning session run with the same elevated turbo boost levels that will be in effect for the “Fast Friday” practice on May 16 and PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on May 17-18. McLaughlin’s top lap of 232.686 mph in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet was the fastest trip around the famed 2.5-mile oval this week.
SEE: ‘Boosted’ Results | ‘Race Trim’ Results | ‘Boosted’ No-Tow Results | Overall Test Results
“We had a really good day, a good couple of days,” said McLaughlin, a 31-year-old native of New Zealand. “(I) felt like we got through a lot from a hybrid perspective.
“Then I felt like the morning qualifying session _ the high-boost session _ was a bit of a crapshoot. (There were a) couple yellows. When the track got better, it was a bit dirty from some of the shunts, as well. Then everyone was trying to cram a lot into 40 minutes. But overall, a really solid (car) balance to kick off the Month of May.”
Alex Palou – Indianapolis 500 Open Test – Photo by Chris Owens
Palou, the three-time/reigning NTT IndyCar Series champion, topped the chart during the afternoon session featuring boost levels reduced to the same levels that will be in effect for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 25. The championship leader after the season’s first three races, Palou’s top afternoon lap was 223.993 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
“You need to keep on always chasing it and trying to make it better,” said Palou, a 28-year-old native of Spain. “Trying to make it more comfortable when running in traffic, trying to make it faster when you’re alone. That’s the car that gives me a chance (to win), for sure.”
Takuma Sato – Indianapolis 500 Open Test – Photo by James Black
Two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato of Japan was second-fastest in the morning’s “boosted” session via his lap of 232.565 mph in the No. 75 AMADA Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Sato’s lap also was fastest of the two-day test without benefit of an aerodynamic “tow” from the slipstream of a leading car.
However, Sato’s shining moment was short-lived and showed the risk of dealing with tricky, low-downforce, high-boost qualifying setups. Sato had just completed eight laps in the morning session _ with his best speed on Lap 3 _ when his car made heavy contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 1 and came to a stop in Turn 2.
The 2017 and 2020 Indy winner, Sato was uninjured. But the sight of his crumpled race car specifically built and massaged for the Indy 500 was painful. “I lost it; I simply lost it,” said Sato, a veteran favorite son of Honda Racing. “It’s hard. My body is fine. It’s just the car…I lost the car. That’s heartbreaking.”
Will Power – Indianapolis 500 Open Test – Photo by Joe Skibinski
Native Australian Will Power, the 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner, was third in the “boosted” session at 232.278 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, followed by Sweden’s Felix Rosenqvist at 232.100 mph in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing. Palou completed the top-five at 231.843 mph.
All but two of the 34 cars on-track returned to running in traffic during the afternoon session to simulate Race Day. Palou and Rosenqvist were the only drivers in the top-five in both sessions, as Rosenqvist backed up his strong performance with extra boost by placing second in the afternoon with a best lap of 223.366 mph.
Kyle Kirkwood – Indianapolis 500 Open Test – Photo by Joe Skibinski
Recent Streets of Long Beach Grand Prix winner Kyle Kirkwood was third in the afternoon session at 223.362 mph in the No. 27 Andretti Global Honda. Conor Daly was fourth at 223.298 mph in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, while two-time/reigning 500 winner Josef Newgarden completed the top-five at 223.255 mph in the No. 2 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Team Penske Chevrolet.
“It was a pretty productive morning starting-off day,” said Newgarden, a two-time series champion. “It’s been nice to have a high-boost session. We don’t typically get this and it’s interesting to have a simulation of what Fast Friday will be like. Just get an early touch on the car and what the high-boost does.
“I felt pretty comfy and definitely felt some differences from last year to this year with the hybrid and the weight of the car. We’ve got something to digest as we come back to the Month of May and hopefully qualify on the front row again for Team Penske.”
Pato O’Ward – Indianapolis 500 Open Test – Photo by Chris Owens
Pato O’Ward, the Indy 500 runnerup last May to Newgarden, placed eighth on the “non-tow” list with a lap at 229.735 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. That speed also placed Pato 14th on the overall list after 167 laps-completed.
“It was the first time at the Open Test that we had the boost up, at least in the morning, so that was cool,” said O’Ward, a native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio. “We know what to expect a little more on Fast Friday. We got through our program; we got through a lot of things _ alone running and traffic running. Feeling super-happy for May coming up. I think this will be a great starting point to build on.”
Santino Ferrucci – Indianapolis 500 Open Test – Photo by Paul Hurley
Santino Ferrucci of Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing posted a top lap of 228.860 mph during the “boosted” session to place 20th. That also was the Dallas resident’s spot on the combined chart after 114 laps-completed.
“Obviously, a very interesting day with the hybrid and the high-boost,” said Ferrucci, driver of the No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet. “Feels pretty good, the cars are definitely quick. I don’t think we’re going to be as quick as we were the previous season just due to the weight of things. Overall very technical, very difficult as a driver to get all the systems right. Driving-wise, trying to find the balance with the car is also not the easiest thing, but overall pretty happy with it.”
David Malukas – Indianapolis 500 Open Test – Photo by Joe Skibinski
David Malukas was 26th overall at 227.353 mph in the No. 4 Chevrolet fielded by 90-year-old Houston native A.J. Foyt Jr., first four-time winner of the Indy 500.
“First run with qualifying power and the boost _ a lot of technical difficulties once again that we kind of ran through,” said Malukas, anticipating his first Indy 500 start for the legendary Foyt. “We know exactly what we had to do, so for our part we’re more here for trying to make sure we have a car for racing.
“I’m very comfortable with the car when it came to the qualifying and the boost, just other perspectives of technical difficulties which kind of lost us the pace there for those few laps but nothing to really worry about. We know exactly what to fix.”
Helio Castroneves – Indianapolis 500 Open Test – Photo by Paul Hurley
Four-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves of Brazil wound up 23rd on the overall chart at 228.177 mph in the No. 06 Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing. Castroneves, who joined the Four-Time Indy 500 Winner’s Club driving for MSR in 2021, is scheduled to make his lone start of the 2025 season in the 109th Indy 500.
Sato wasn’t the only driver making contact with the SAFER Barrier Thursday. NASCAR Cup Series star Kyle Larson, the 2024 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, also crashed in the morning session. Larson hit the SAFER Barrier in Turn 1 in the No. 17 Hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet before secondary contact in Turn 2.
“I was starting my qualifying laps there and, just got really tight and just a bunch of understeer through Turn 1 and ran out of space off of Turn 1,” Larson said. “I kind of fought the understeer feeling (Wednesday) and, yeah, carry over to today.
Kyle Larson – Indianapolis 500 Open Test – Photo by Joe Skibinski
“Honestly, though _ I’m happy to crash my first Indy-car and live through it. We’ll just work on it and try and get the balance more comfortable. I just didn’t quite feel like I had the feeling I needed yesterday, and then it really carried over today. I think when you’re going faster, you know, it really stood out. Just a bummer. But also encouraging that it didn’t feel…I know it wasn’t like a big hit or anything… but it didn’t feel anything different than what I was expecting.”
The 2021 Cup Series champion for Rick Hendrick, Larson was uninjured. But like Sato, he did not return to the track for the rest of the day. Larson is once again trying to complete “The Double” of 1,110 miles of racing in the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day Sunday.
Team Chevy enjoyed a solid rebound Thursday, as Bowtie-powered drivers took two of the top-five spots in each session. Led by six-time series champion Scott Dixon of New Zealand, Honda engines powered nine of the 10 fastest drivers Wednesday. Dixon, the 2008 Indy 500 champion, turned a top lap of 225.182 mph during the last hour of testing Wednesday in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
The 34 drivers on-site combined to turn 5,804 laps, or 14,510 miles, during the two-day test.
Up next is the acclaimed Month of May, highlighted by three point-paying races. Activity starts with the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on Sunday, May 4, on the natural-terrain road-course at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. Coverage will begin at 1:30 p.m. (EDT) on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
The schedule then shifts to the IMS Road-Course for the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday, May 10, before “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is run on Sunday, May 25 on the IMS oval. Coverage of Round 5 of the 2025 INDYCAR championship will begin at 10 a.m. (EDT) on FOX, FOX Deportes and the FOX Sports app. Coverage also will be available on the INDYCAR Radio Network, on SiriusXM Channel 218 and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
Sanctioning body INDYCAR has informed race teams of a procedural update involving eligible drivers ahead of the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. During a recent Team Manager call, teams were made aware that a replacement driver would be eligible within the following parameters:
_ A replacement driver will only be considered if the primary (entered) driver also is participating in another marquee event with the driver’s principal racing series on Indianapolis 500 Race Day.
_ The INDYCAR-approved veteran replacement driver is eligible for and passes the Indianapolis Motor Speedway refresher program in the entry during the first day of Indianapolis 500 practice.
_ Additional tires for the refresher program will not be allowed for the Indianapolis 500 entry. The tire allotment for each entrant is 32 sets of Firestone Firehawk rubber for the event. Any tires used for the refresher program will be taken from the allotted tires to that entry.
_ During the refresher program, minimal setup changes will be allowed.
_ After the replacement driver completes the required phases of the refresher program, additional laps during the session will not be permitted.
_ Once INDYCAR is notified that a team will use its replacement driver for the Indianapolis 500, the entry’s qualified position is forfeited, and the car will start at the rear of the starting lineup and ordered according to Rule 8.1.8.6.
_ A qualified driver, who is officially replaced by the team, may return and compete with that entry provided the replacement driver has not participated in a session other than the refresher program. The car’s starting position will remain at the rear of the field with the starting lineup ordered according to Rule 8.1.8.6.
The 2025 INDYCAR Rulebook will be updated to reflect these changes.
NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 142; 2, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 108; 3, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 96; 4, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 88; 5, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 86; 6, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 80; 7, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, 73; 8, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 69; 9, Will Power, Team Penske, 63; 10, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 58;
11, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 58; 12, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 55; 13, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 51; 14, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 50; 15, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 48; 16, Rinus VeeKay, Dale Coyne Racing, 46; 17, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 45; 18, David Malukas, A.J. Foyt Racing, 42; 19, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 40; 20, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 39;
21, Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 32; 22, Robert Shwartzman, Prema Racing, 30; 23, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 26; 24, Callum Ilott, Prema Racing, 25; 25, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 25; 26, Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 24; 27, Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne Racing, 17.
FOX SPORTS’ 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST COVERAGE SCHEDULE
Sunday, March 2 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, March 23 _The Thermal Club, Thermal, Calif. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, April 13 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif. (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)
Sunday, May 4 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (FOX, 1:30 p.m.)
Saturday, May 10 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course (FOX, 4:30 p.m.)
Sunday, May 25 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval (FOX, 10 a.m.)
Sunday, June 1 _ Streets of Detroit (FOX, 12:30 p.m.)
Sunday, June 15 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill. (FOX, 3 p.m.)
Sunday, June 22 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (FOX, 3:30 p.m.)
Sunday, July 6 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington (FOX, 2 p.m.)
Saturday, July 12 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 1 (FOX, 5 p.m.)
Sunday, July 13 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 2 (FOX, 2 p.m.)
Sunday, July 20 _ Streets of Toronto, Canada (FOX, 2 p.m.)
Sunday, July 27 _ WeatherTech Raceway, Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. (FOX, 3 p.m.)
Sunday, Aug. 10 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway (FOX, 3 p.m.)
Sunday, Aug. 24 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis. (FOX, 2 p.m.)
Sunday, Aug. 31 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn. (2:30 p.m.)
NOTE _ All times Eastern. Dates and times subject to change.
