{"id":51025,"date":"2025-04-24T09:05:55","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T14:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=51025"},"modified":"2025-04-24T09:09:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T14:09:48","slug":"dixon-fastest-during-day-1-of-109th-indianapolis-500-open-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/24\/dixon-fastest-during-day-1-of-109th-indianapolis-500-open-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Dixon fastest during Day 1 of 109th Indianapolis 500 Open Test"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Scott Dixon topped the speed charts on Wednesday on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval with a lap of 225.182 mph during the last hour of testing. Photo courtesy of the NTT IndyCar Series.<\/p><\/div>\n


\nBy <\/span>John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion <\/span>Scott Dixon<\/span> launched his  bid for a second Indianapolis 500 victory Wednesday during Day 1<\/span> of the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by <\/span>Gainbridge<\/span>Open Test.<\/span><\/p>\n

SEE: <\/span>Test Results<\/span><\/a> | <\/span>No-Tow Results<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The 2008 Indy 500 champion, <\/span>Dixon <\/span>topped the speed chart around<\/span> the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval<\/span> at 225.<\/span>182 mph<\/span> in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda<\/span>. Dixon recorded his fastest speed<\/span> during the last hour of <\/span>hot-lapping<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

“It’s testing <\/span>_<\/span> just trying to get through the test list, lots of changes,\u201d <\/span>said <\/span>Dixon<\/span>, a <\/span>44<\/span>-year-old native of New Zealand<\/span> and CGR\u2019s longest-tenured driver<\/span>. \u201cWe <\/span>didn’t<\/span> do the October test, so first time with the hybrid here, which <\/span>definitely adds<\/span> some elements to it and makes it <\/span>pretty interesting<\/span>. I think <\/span>it<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s<\/span> going to determine a lot race-wise, maybe even for the shootout at the end. I think it could determine that.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, trying to clarify a lot of those situations to make sure that <\/span>you’re<\/span> covered muscle memory-wise and memory-wise. It comes down to that. So even in qualifying, I think it be a few different strategies of how to get that right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dixon took <\/span>P1<\/span> from two-time<\/span>\/<\/span>reigning race champion Josef Newgarden, who <\/span>placed<\/span> second at 225.125 <\/span>mph <\/span>in the No. 2 Shell V-Power <\/span>NiTRO<\/span>+ Team Penske Chevrolet. <\/span>A two-time series champion, <\/span>Newgarden <\/span>will try<\/span> to become the first driver to win <\/span>\u201cThe Greatest Spectacle in Racing\u201d<\/span> three years in a row <\/span>on <\/span>Sunday, May 25.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cToday was really solid just to start out,\u201d <\/span>said <\/span>Newgarden<\/span>, 34<\/span>. \u201cThe big thing is you come here with a new car or an existing car that <\/span>you\u2019re<\/span> taking apart and completely rebuilding it. For most everybody here, putting a car on the track for the first time and hoping it just goes relatively quick<\/span>. <\/span>When the car is fast, everything else can be fixed. <\/span>It\u2019s<\/span> the car\u2019s speed that fixes everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> been a <\/span>really good<\/span> start. It <\/span>doesn\u2019t<\/span> mean <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> going to be all smooth sailing but I hope we can come out of this and be prepared for the Month of May.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Two-time 500 winner Takuma Sato <\/span>of Japan <\/span>started his \u201cone-off\u201d Indianapolis 500 effort with <\/span>typical <\/span>vigor, <\/span>placing<\/span> third at 225.069<\/span> mph<\/span> in the No. 75 AMADA Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Marcus Armstrong<\/span> led three Meyer Shank Racing cars in the top eight, as <\/span>t<\/span>he<\/span> native<\/span> New Zealander<\/span>was fourth at 224.987<\/span> mph<\/span> in the No. 66 SiriusXM\/Root Insurance Honda.<\/span><\/p>\n

Colton Herta <\/span>completed<\/span> the top<\/span>–<\/span>five at 224.857<\/span> mph<\/span> in the No. 26 <\/span>Gainbridge<\/span> Honda of Andretti Global.<\/span><\/p>\n

Besides MSR putting Armstrong fourth, four-time 500<\/span>champion<\/span> Helio Castroneves<\/span> of Brazil<\/span> seventh and <\/span>Sweden\u2019s <\/span>Felix Rosenqvist eighth, another trend line<\/span> emerged _ <\/span>Honda engines are <\/span>oval-<\/span>fast.<\/span> Honda-powered cars have <\/span>swept<\/span> the first three races of the <\/span>2025 <\/span>season, two on street circuits and another on a road-course. <\/span>Honda<\/span> engines<\/span> powered nine of the 10 fastest drivers <\/span>Wednesday<\/span>, with Newgarden the only <\/span>Team <\/span>Chevy <\/span>entrant<\/span> in that group.<\/span><\/p>\n

Honda drivers also <\/span>locked up<\/span> the top three spots on the \u201cno-tow\u201d list of drivers\u2019 best laps turned without the speed-enhancing edge of an aerodynamic slipstream from a leading car. Rosenqvist was the top no-tow driver at 220.835 <\/span>mph <\/span>in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda, followed by three-time<\/span>\/reigning<\/span> series champion Alex Palou <\/span>of Spain <\/span>at 220.354 <\/span>mph <\/span>in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.<\/span><\/p>\n

Testing <\/span>is scheduled to resume<\/span> at 9:30 a.m. <\/span>(EDT) <\/span>Thursday. Teams will have access from 9:30-noon to the same elevated turbo boost levels as \u201cFast Friday\u201d practice <\/span>booked on <\/span>May 16 and PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on May 17-18. <\/span>B<\/span>oost will <\/span>then <\/span>be reduced to race levels from 2-5 p.m. for the final segment of testing this week.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to turn up the boost and curious to see how this hybrid is going to be used in qualifying,\u201d said Pato <\/span>O\u2019Ward<\/span>, 16th overall at 222.775 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. \u201cI think everybody is kind of playing a guessing game now, so we\u2019ll see what\u2019s the best one <\/span>(Thursday)<\/span>.\u201d<\/span> A native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, <\/span>O\u2019Ward<\/span>\u2019s<\/span> bid for his first Indy 500 victory was thwarted last May when he was passed by Newgarden in Turn 3 on the 200<\/span>th<\/span> and final lap.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thirty-four drivers are eligible to participate when Indianapolis 500 practice <\/span>officially <\/span>opens Tuesday, May 13, as Jacob Abel, Louis Foster <\/span>of Great Brita<\/span>i<\/span>n <\/span>and <\/span>Russian\/Israeli <\/span>Robert Shwartzman completed the Rookie Orientation Program<\/span>.<\/span> In addition,<\/span> former Indy 500 pole-sitter <\/span>Marco Andretti, Devlin DeFrancesco<\/span> of <\/span>Canada<\/span>, Callum Ilott<\/span> of Great Britain<\/span>, <\/span>NASCAR Cup Series regular <\/span>Kyle Larson and Sato completed the veteran refresher test Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

All 34 drivers expected to compete next month for the <\/span>traditional <\/span>33 starting spots were on<\/span>–<\/span>track <\/span>Wednesday<\/span>, turning a combined 2,805 laps. Rookie Swartzman was the busiest driver, <\/span>logging<\/span> 133 laps in the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet.<\/span><\/p>\n

In an in<\/span>triguing <\/span>twist<\/span>, <\/span>current championship leader Palou was one of the most inactive drivers, completing just 46 laps despite no apparent technical problems. Palou, <\/span>who is <\/span>seeking his first <\/span>Indy <\/span>500 victory, <\/span>placed<\/span> sixth overall at 224.786<\/span> mph<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Larson, the <\/span>2021 Cup Series champio<\/span>n for Hendrick Motorsports,<\/span> was 11th at 223.430 <\/span>mph <\/span>in the No. 17 Hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Larson is once again trying to complete <\/span>\u201cT<\/span>he Double\u201d of racing in the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR\u2019s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on <\/span>Memorial Day Sunday<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

O<\/span>ne caution period <\/span>interrupted the <\/span>more than six hours of testing. Graham Rahal brushed the SAFER Barrier in Turn 3 twice in his No. 15 United Rentals Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with 13 minutes remaining. Rahal<\/span>, the son of 1986 Indy 500 champion and team-founder Bobby Rahal,<\/span> was un<\/span>injured<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _<\/span><\/strong> 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 1<\/span>4<\/span>2<\/span>; 2,<\/span> Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, <\/span>108<\/span>;<\/span>3, <\/span>Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, <\/span>96<\/span>;<\/span> 4, <\/span>Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, <\/span>88<\/span>;<\/span> 5, <\/span>Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, <\/span>86<\/span>;<\/span> 6, <\/span>Pato <\/span>O\u2019Ward<\/span>, Arrow McLaren, <\/span>80<\/span>;<\/span> 7, <\/span>Colton Herta, Andretti Global,<\/span> 73<\/span>;<\/span> 8, <\/span>Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, <\/span>69; 9, <\/span>Will Power, Team Penske,<\/span> 63; 10, <\/span>Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, <\/span>5<\/span>8<\/span>;<\/span><\/p>\n

11, <\/span>Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, <\/span>58<\/span>;<\/span> 1<\/span>2<\/span>, <\/span>Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, <\/span>55<\/span>;<\/span> 1<\/span>3<\/span>,<\/span> Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, <\/span>51<\/span>;<\/span> 14, <\/span>Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, <\/span>50<\/span>;<\/span>15, <\/span>Kyffin<\/span> Simpson, Chip <\/span>Ganassi Racing, <\/span>48<\/span>;<\/span> 16, <\/span>Rinus <\/span>VeeKay<\/span>, Dale Coyne Racing, <\/span>46<\/span>;<\/span> 17, <\/span>Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, <\/span>45<\/span>;<\/span> 18, <\/span>David <\/span>Malukas<\/span>, A.J. Foyt Racing, <\/span>42<\/span>;<\/span> 19, <\/span>Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, <\/span>40<\/span>;<\/span>20, <\/span>Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, <\/span>39<\/span>;<\/span><\/p>\n

21, <\/span>Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, <\/span>32<\/span>;<\/span> 22, <\/span>Robert Shwartzman, Prema Racing, <\/span>30<\/span>;<\/span> 23, <\/span>Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren,<\/span> 26;<\/span> 24, <\/span>Callum Ilott, Prema Racing, <\/span>25<\/span>;<\/span> 25, <\/span>Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, <\/span>25<\/span>;<\/span> 26, <\/span>Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, <\/span>24<\/span>;<\/span> 27, <\/span>Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne Racing,<\/span> 17.<\/span><\/p>\n

FOX SPORTS\u2019 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST COVERAGE SCHEDULE<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sunday, March 2 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, March 23 _The Thermal Club, Thermal, Calif.  (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, April 13 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif. (<\/span>Kyle Kirkwood<\/span>, <\/span>Andretti Global<\/span>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, May 4 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (FOX, 1:30 p.m.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Saturday, May 10 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course (FOX, 4:30 p.m.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, May 25 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval (FOX, 10 a.m.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, June 1 _ Streets of Detroit (FOX, 12:30 p.m.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, June 15 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill. (FOX, 3 p.m.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, June 22 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (FOX, 3:30 p.m.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, July 6 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington (FOX, 2 p.m.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Saturday, July 12 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 1 (FOX, 5 p.m.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, July 13 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 2 (FOX, 2 p.m.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, July 20 _ Streets of Toronto, Canada (FOX, 2 p.m.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, July 27 _ WeatherTech Raceway, Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. (FOX, 3 p.m.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, Aug. 10 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway (FOX, 3 p.m.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, Aug. 24 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis. (FOX, 2 p.m.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, Aug. 31 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn. (2:30 p.m.)<\/span><\/p>\n

NOTE _ All times Eastern. Dates and times subject to change.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon launched his  bid for a second Indianapolis 500 victory Wednesday during Day 1 of the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by GainbridgeOpen Test. SEE: Test Results | No-Tow Results The 2008 Indy 500 champion, Dixon topped the speed chart around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval at 225.182 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":678,"featured_media":51029,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12],"tags":[230,421,125,22,672,164],"class_list":["post-51025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indycar","tag-indianapolis-500","tag-indianapolis-motor-speedway","tag-indy-500","tag-indycar","tag-ntt-indycar-series","tag-scott-dixon"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/E8E68075-F4FD-4081-ADC4-D17229E26232.jpeg?fit=640%2C320","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-dgZ","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/678"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51025"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51031,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51025\/revisions\/51031"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}