Josef Newgarden – Miller Lite Carb Day – INDYCAR photo

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

Carb Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is for sending messages. And the word from two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Josef Newgarden is…he’s sneaky-fast.

Josef Newgarden – Miller Lite Carb Day – Photo by Matt Fraver

Newgarden emerged atop the speed chart during Friday’s final practice for the 110^th running of the Indianapolis 500 via a top lap of 228.342 mph in the No. 2 Shell Fuel Rewards Team Penske Chevrolet. Recall that Newgarden also paced Monday’s rain-shortened post-qualifying practice at 226.198 mph.

Winner of “The Greatest Spectacle In Racing” in 2023 and 2024, Newgarden led an all-Team Chevy top-four. Newgarden’s hot lap _ which took 39.4145-seconds _ was recorded on the 11^th of 55 circuits he turned on the famed 2.5-mile IMS oval.

“It was OK. It was all right,” said Newgarden, who will start Sunday’s scheduled 200-lap/500-miler 23^rd in the traditional 33-car field. “But today’s Friday and we’ve got to be good on Sunday. I’m just ready to get to Sunday. Team Chevy has done a great job for us this month. I’m excited to go racing.” 

SEE: Practice Results

The last time a driver won the Indy 500 from a starting position of 23rd or lower was in 1974. That’s when Johnny Rutherford of Fort Worth, Texas, started 25^th as a “second-day” qualifier and went on to drive the No. 3 McLaren/Offy to the first of his three 500 victories.

Josef Newgarden – Miller Lite Carb Day – Photo by Doug Mathews

A two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion, Newgarden was quick to put Friday’s fast lap into perspective during a Month of May that has been unseasonably rainy and cool.

“I don’t know that we were that ‘great’ today,” said Newgarden, a 35-year-old resident of Nashville, Tenn. “I put up a fast lap. That’s really all it is. Always there is positivity to that in that when the car can do that lap, that is a good thing. But that’s not the whole story when it comes to our race car.

“I think we’ve been relatively solid all month. But you get these fluctuations every single day with temperature and wind, and you take the car apart, you put it back together, it’s never quite the same thing every time you go out.

“The one day that’s going to matter is in 48 hours. That’s what it boils down to. I think our race car has been in a really good spot for the most part, and even through all the variability that I just spoke about. We’ve just got to make sure it’s right as Sunday comes around.”

Newgarden said he expects the race to develop into an aggressive sprint from the get-go.

“We’re right in the middle of everything (starting 23^rd). So you have to go,” Newgarden said. “We’ve got to be racing and be heads-up. It’s chaotic on this style of racing that we have now at Indy. I feel like people are…everyone is very confident in the way they drive and ambitious. Yeah, you could see it today for sure. It was the first day of the month for sure where everyone was like, ‘It’s Race Day.’ You’ve got to be heads-up and trying to move forward at all points and never sitting back and hope for the best.”

Christian Rasmussen of Denmark was second overall with a best lap of 227.474 mph in the No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter Racing. David Malukas matched his qualifying position by placing third at 226.565 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

Indiana native Conor Daly continued to display consistent speed by clocking in fourth at 226.341 mph in the No. 23 DRR Kingspan ARCO Chevrolet of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. And two-time 500 winner Takuma Sato of Japan completed the top-five at 226.244 mph in the No. 75 Amada Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

“It was a cooler day, just like last year, so the field is very fast and we had to choose some different downforce which will be different on Race Day,” said Sato, a 49-year-old native of Tokyo and Indy 500 champ in 2017 and 2020. “However, we were able to run quite a lot of miles today and gather the last part of the important data so I don’t think we’re going to change a lot from now on. I think everyone has done a good job today.”

Pole-sitter and reigning Indy 500 champ Alex Palou of Spain was sixth at 225.986 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou, the four-time/reigning series champion, is bidding to become just the seventh driver to win this event in consecutive years.

Winner of three of the series’ first six races this season, Palou said he has embraced the attention and obligations and pressure associated with returning to IMS as defending Indy 500 champion.

“Like, we always have that pressure to win,” said Palou, a 29-year-old native of Spain. “That’s why they pay us _ they pay us to win. Not to win once and that’s it. They pay us to do it continuously.

“Yeah, I know I’m hungrier than ever just because I know what comes with it, once you win the Indy 500 and what it means. I don’t feel more or less pressure. Not because I won once, it’s not like now I need another one. It’s more the opposite, it’s more like I want to go back-to-back. I know we have everything. We have a really, really fast car. Hopefully we can have a good race and get there to the end.”

Dennis Hauger of Norway was the fastest of four rookies during the two-hour session, 10th at 225.187 mph in the No. 19 Only Bulls Honda of Dale Coyne Racing.

Meanwhile, Alexander Rossi returned to action in a backup No. 20 Java House Chevrolet fielded by Ed Carpenter Racing. Recall that Rossi, winner of the landmark 100^th Indy 500 in 2016 as a series rookie, suffered injuries to a finger on his left hand and right ankle that required outpatient minor surgery and stabilization after a grinding crash in Turn 2 during practice Monday.

Rossi, who is starting a career-best second at IMS, was 31st overall at 222.291 mph after completing 48 laps. “I feel amazing,” said Rossi, a 34-year-old native of Nevada City, Calif. “I just want to talk about the INDYCAR doctors and everyone at IU Health and what they’ve accomplished in order to get us back to this process of getting in the car today, is pretty exceptional.

“It took a huge amount of things to go correctly and a great group of people that I’m incredibly thankful for. The No. 20 car crew, for what they did to bring a car back to the Speedway that feels just as good as the car we qualified. We had a very specific plan today to get through, just to make sure that everything we thought would happen would happen, and it all did. We’re in a really good spot for Sunday.

“All three ECR Chevys seem incredibly strong. It’s a testament to the organization and the resolve that everyone has.” As noted, Rasmussen was second on the chart while team-owner/oval track specialist Ed Carpenter was 24th at 223.571 mph after 63 laps in the No. 33 SlimFast Special Chevrolet.

Dallas resident Santino Ferrucci led the two-car fulltime series entries from Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing in 17^th at 224.415 mph after 51 laps in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet. Ferrucci will start the race sixth on the grid. Rookie teammate Caio Collet of Brazil was 21^st at 224.126 mph in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet after 56 laps.

Four-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves, a 51-year-old native of Brazil, was 19^th at 224.202 mph after logging 70 laps in the No. 06 Cleveland Cliffs Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian.

Pato O’Ward “peppered-out” his backup No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet over the course of 58 laps with a top speed of 224.202 mph. O’Ward’s primary car was swept up and severely damaged in Rossi’s crash in Turn 2 on Monday. Team Principal and 2013 Indy 500 champion Tony Kanaan opted to switch to the Dallara chassis in which O’Ward won two races during the 2025 season. O’Ward is a two-time Indy 500 runnerup who finished third at the Speedway last May.

“I’m happy that we got our running in today,” said O’Ward, a 27-year-old native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas. “The rain stayed away, at least for practice. We’re getting the car better and better each time we’re out and I think we’ve got it in the right window where we can keep working on it throughout the race. It’s a long, long day. We’ve just got to make it better.”

All 33 drivers combined to turn 2,169 laps in the two-hour session, which featured just one caution period for a loose right-rear wheel that forced Sweden’s Marcus Ericsson, the 2022 Indy 500 champ, to slow on-course in the No. 28 Phoenix Investors Honda of Andretti Global.

Six-time series champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon of New Zealand was the busiest driver, turning 96 laps in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. “Dixie” was 14^th on the chart at 224.917 mph.

Next on-track action will take place Sunday _ on Race Day _ for the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Live coverage will start at 10 a.m. (EDT, FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls). Academy Award-winning actor Brendan Fraser is expected to wave the green flag for the flying start at 12:45 p.m.

The shocking death of NASCAR champion Kyle Busch on Thursday at age 41 has resonated as an emotional topic among the INDYCAR community at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Busch was in his 22nd fulltime season in NASCAR’s premier division, in which he won Cup Series titles in 2015 and 2019 and 63 races _ a figure that ranks ninth on the circuit’s all-time list. His numbers across the other two national NASCAR series are record-setting, with 102 victories in what is now called the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and 69 wins in the Craftsman Truck Series.

Busch is survived by his parents and wife, Samantha, whom he married on New Year’s Eve in 2010, and two children _ son Brexton, who turned 11 on Monday, and 4-year-old daughter Lennix.

Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden was asked about the legacy of Busch, whose NASCAR tenure included stints with Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing.

“What do you say? Gosh, I hate to be a person making a public comment about it because it’s an incredibly difficult thing,” Newgarden said after the Carb Day practice at IMS. “How can you not be in shock over the situation? I didn’t even know about it (Busch’s hospitalization) till (Thursday), and the next news you hear is that he’s not with us anymore.

“I think it just puts into perspective how fragile life is. You just don’t know. Makes me think of his kids, to be honest with you. Gosh, I feel terrible about…I have two sons now. That’s the thing that breaks my heart for sure.

“The racing deal, he’d probably tell you that, too. He was an extreme racer, one of the best you’d ever see on-track and I’m just speaking about his skill-set. I’m sure that the toughest part about it is just what he leaves behind with his kids and what they have to go through.

“Yeah, incredibly sad for everybody. I didn’t even know Kyle very well. I just, when I look at from afar, how can it not break your heart when you think about his kids?”

Newgarden reiterated that while he knew of Busch within the motorsports community, they were not close friends. “I always love watching people that have just a huge skill-set and tenacity for a craft,” Newgarden said. “When you look at Kyle, Kyle was just one of those unique individuals that was phenomenal at what he did. I just admire that about people, I really do. I’ve always been curious about what makes that work. I don’t think every situation is the same. He had his own unique skill-sets that worked for him, but he was by far one of the best, there’s no doubt.

“Like I said, just a sad day for motorsport that lost one of the best. But my empathy, my feelings, are toward his family for sure. I hope their community can rally around the kids. That’s what’s going to matter at the end of the day.”

NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 237; 2, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 210; 3, David Malukas, Team Penske, 185; 4, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 182; 5, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 162; 6, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 148; 7, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 148; 8, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 141; 9, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 141; 10, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 123;

11, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 116; 12, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 112; 13, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 110; 14, Will Power, Andretti Global, 107; 15, Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing, 100; 16, Rinus VeeKay, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 94; 17, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 93; 18, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 90; 19, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 86; 20, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 76;

21, Caio Collet, A.J. Foyt Racing, 70; 22, Romain Grosjean, Dale Coyne Racing, 69; 23, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 65; 24, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 55; 25, Mick Schumacher, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 54.

FOX SPORTS’ 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST SCHEDULE/(RACE WINNER)

Note _ All times Eastern

Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Saturday, March 7 _ Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Ariz., (Josef Newgarden, Team Penske)

Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)

Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, April 19 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course, (Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren)

Sunday, May 24 _ 110^th Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval, 10 a.m.

Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Downtown Detroit, 12:30 p.m.

Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill., 9 p.m.

Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., 2 p.m.

Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, 12:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn., TBA

Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, 4 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 16 _ Streets of Markham, Canada, Noon

Sunday, Aug. 23 _ Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., TBA

Saturday, Aug. 29 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 1, West Allis, Wis., 2:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 2, West Allis, Wis., 1 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 6 _ WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., 2:30 p.m.

Note _ Dates and times subject to change.

2026 INDYCAR NXT BY FIRESTONE SCHEDULE/(RACE-WINNER)

Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)

Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Max Taylor, Andretti Global)

Saturday, March 28 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)

Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alessandro de Tullio, A.J. Foyt Racing)

Friday, May 8 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 1 (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)

Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 2 (Tymek Kucharczyk, HMD Motorsports)

Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Downtown Detroit

Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill.

Saturday, June 20 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 1

Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 2

Saturday, July 4 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 1

Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 2

Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn.

Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway

Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis.

Saturday, Sept. 5 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 1

Sunday, Sept. 6 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 2