Newgarden still fast; O’Ward not fast enough at IMS
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
Reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Josef Newgarden paced Monday’s two-hour practice for the race’s 108th edition next Sunday in a Team Penske car he says is “very raceable.”
Josef Newgarden – Indianapolis 500 Monday Practice – (Photo by Chris Jones | IMS Photo)
Meanwhile, Pato O’Ward is dealing with a race car he says is certainly fast _ just not fast enough.
Newgarden, who qualified third during Sunday’s PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying session, turned a top lap Monday of 226.238 mph in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet. Monday’s practice allowed all 33 teams to stabilize Race Day setups for the scheduled 200-lapper around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval after a weekend of qualifying runs with additional turbo boost.
“The car feels good. I’ve been happy with it since we showed up,” said Newgarden, who is aiming to become the race’s first repeat champion since native Brazilian Helio Castroneves of Team Penske in 2001-2002. “There’s been a lot of work put into this race car all year from everybody. I’m excited to go racing.
“We’re going to see how things shake-up. I love this place. You’ve just got to be ready for everything. We’re going to make a plan, like qualifying, and we might change the plan. You never know with the Indy 500. We’re ready for Sunday.”
Colton Herta, who qualified 13th, bolted to second on the speed chart at 226.222 mph in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian. Native Australian Will Power, the 2018 Indy 500 champion who qualified second, was third in practice at 226.137 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet.
Newgarden and Power each logged 89 practice laps, while Herta completed 96 laps _ nearly half-a-race.
“Our race car and what we showed up with is very much intact. It’s there,” said Newgarden, a two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion. “The car is capable of racing and doing well. There’s a lot of other things you’ve got to be able to do in the race to tackle any challenges, but I think the car is very raceable and it’s got speed. You have that box checked. You can kind of make anything else work, in my opinion.”
Pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin logged 77 laps with a top speed of 224.031 mph Monday to rank a conservative 21st overall. A 30-year-old native of New Zealand, McLaughlin recorded his first career Indy 500 pole by posting the fastest four-lap/10-mile average speed in history _ a blistering 234.220 mph in the No. 3 Pennzoil “Yellow Submarine” Team Penske Chevrolet. McLaughlin’s best qualifying position in three previous Indy 500 starts was 14th in 2023.
Native Argentinian Agustin Canapino, who qualified 22nd, jumped to fourth in the thick traffic at 225.747 mph in the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet. O’Ward, who qualified eighth, completed the top-five at 225.738 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
The next/final on-track session is the traditional Miller Lite Carb Day practice from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (EDT) Friday. Live coverage of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” will start at 11 a.m. Sunday on NBC, Universo, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
Pato O’Ward – Photo by Matt Fraver
Carb Day can’t come soon enough for O’Ward, who turned 70 laps Monday in what remains a frustrating search for additional speed. While the actual difference between Newgarden’s top speed Monday and O’Ward’s computes to 0.5 mph, it seemed like 50 to the 25-year-old McLaren ace.
“Definitely hasn’t been the best of the days of the month,” said O’Ward, a native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio. “We’re just…we’ve had some annoying issue that we just can’t seem to perfect. I just hope we can fix it. If not, we’re going to be in handicapped-mode for the race. But in terms of balance, I think we’re pretty sporty if we fix that.
“We’re slow. We know what it is, but it’s a lot easier said than done to fix it or not have the issue. It just sucks when you’re not fast enough around here. You feel helpless. I would love to get another run in. Just a few laps would be great, just to see if we’re able to at least minimize it. But it’s all good. Still enjoying the process.
“I think it’s just part of what you have to kind of battle with around this place. There’s a fine line with everything. If you want the car to stop well, you’re going to give up in other areas. If you want more speed, you’re going to give up in other performance areas where you kind of need them all in the race. It’s just part of it. I mean, I’m confident my guys are going to fix it and truly kind of dig into just see how can we not have that issue and/or just get rid of it completely.”
Beginning with practice on “Fast Friday,” sanctioning body INDYCAR permitted all entrants to hot lap with additional boost _ from 1.3 bar to 1.5 bar _ in their respective 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 Chevrolet and Honda engines. That boost added approximately 100 horsepower to the package and led to the magic 230 mph barrier routinely being battered. But with the extra boost now eliminated, O’Ward noted Monday’s pace was “definitely a lot slower.”
“Qualifying is a different dimension I would say in terms of just how much lighter the car is by yourself,” O’Ward said. “But in race-mode, you can scare yourself for sure.
“Today the track in (Turns) 3 and 4 and 1 and 2 for me was a bit of a…a bit different than what I had felt in the past couple days of race-running. In Race Day maybe it comes, and it’s the absolute opposite, or maybe both ends of the track feel the same. I think that’s why you’ve got the tools inside of the car. But ultimately it’s just all about staying on top of it and then just having enough things that you can kind of ‘pepper-in’ throughout the race in order to have it comfortable enough.
“The worst thing that can happen is just the front wing or rear wing or the bars that you’ve got and the weight-jacker, if you can’t really alter the balance to a somewhat comfortable liking, then it really is a miserable three hours.”
Team Penske swept the front row in qualifying for just the second time in Indy 500 history Sunday _ repeating its feat from 1988 _ with “Scotty Mac” winning the NTT P1 Award, Power qualifying second and Newgarden third. Rick Mears qualified P1 for team-owner Roger Penske in 1988, and was joined by No. 2 qualifier Danny Sullivan and Al Unser in third.
All 33 starters combined to turn 2,655 laps Monday, more than any practice during the “Month of May” despite the session lasting only two hours. Rookie Tom Blomqvist of Great Britain was the busiest driver, turning 106 laps _ more than half of the race distance _ in his No. 66 AutoNation/Arctic Wolf Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing.
Facts and figures on the starting field for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
_ Scott McLaughlin is the first native New Zealander and second citizen of that country to win a pole for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Scott Dixon, a citizen of New Zealand who was born in Australia, has won five Indy 500 poles. A six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion, Dixon won the 2008 Indy 500 with Chip Ganassi Racing.
_ Scott McLaughlin produced the fastest four-lap/10-mile average speed in history for an Indianapolis 500 pole-winner at 234.220 mph. The previous record was 234.217 mph set in 2023 by Spaniard Alex Palou. Dutchman Arie Luyendyk set the all-time four-lap qualifying average speed record of 236.986 mph in 1996 in the No. 5 Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria/Bryant Heating & Cooling Reynard/Ford Cosworth XB. But his run came on the second day of qualifications and wasn’t eligible for pole.
_ Team Penske earned its record-extending 19th Indianapolis 500 pole Sunday. The team’s most recent P1 at IMS was delivered by Frenchman Simon Pagenaud in 2019. Team Penske also owns a record 19 Indianapolis 500 victories.
_ From the Déjà vu Department: In 1988, pole-sitter Rick Mears drove the yellow Pennzoil Z-7-sponsored Penske/Chevrolet Indy, No. 2 starter Danny Sullivan was a one-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, and No. 3 starter Al Unser was the defending race-winner. This year, Scott McLaughlin is driving a yellow Pennzoil-sponsored car, No. 2 starter Will Power is a one-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, and No. 3 starter Josef Newgarden is the defending champ of the Indy 500.
_ The “Yellow Submarine” nickname attached to pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin’s car dates to 1980, when Fort Worth’s Johnny Rutherford qualified fellow-Texan Jim Hall’s No. 4 Pennzoil Chaparral/Cosworth on pole en route to his third race victory. Hall, of Midland, introduced the concepts of “ground-effects” and “downforce” with his revolutionary Chaparral chassis. Rutherford, who led a race-high 118 of 200 laps, finished 29.92-seconds ahead of runnerup Tom Sneva in the No. 9 Bon Jour Action Jeans McLaren/Cosworth.
_ Chevrolet-powered drivers earned the first eight starting spots on this year’s grid. The last time one manufacturer earned as many of the top starting positions was 2013, when Chevy swept the top-10.
_ This is the 10th time car No. 3 has won the Indianapolis 500 pole. The last time was 2010 with native Brazilian Helio Castroneves of Team Penske. Car No. 1 has won the pole a record 13 times.
_ This is the second-fastest starting field in Indianapolis 500 history, with an average speed of 231.943 mph. The record of 232.184 mph was set last year.
_ This is the second-fastest front row in Indianapolis 500 history, with an average speed of 233.981 mph. The record of 234.181 mph was set last year.
_ Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, turned the fastest qualifying lap by an Indy 500 rookie in history at 233.453 mph on the first lap of his Top 12 Qualifying attempt. Larson is driving the No. 17 Hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet fielded by Arrow McLaren/Rick Hendrick. The previous rookie record was 233.297 mph by Benjamin Pedersen in 2023.
_ Kyle Larson recorded the second-fastest four-lap qualifying average by a rookie in Indianapolis 500 history, 232.846 mph. The record is 233.100 mph by Tony Stewart in 1996 in the No. 20 Menards/Glidden/Quaker State Lola/Menard V-6. Voted the race’s Rookie of the Year after finishing 24th, “Smoke” moved to NASCAR fulltime and compiled three Cup Series championships.
_ There are eight former Indianapolis 500 winners in the starting field: Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021), Scott Dixon (2008), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Alexander Rossi (2016), Takuma Sato of Japan (2017, 2020), Will Power (2018), Marcus Ericsson of Sweden (2022) and Josef Newgarden (2023). Among them, they have scored 12 victories. The record for most former winners in the field is 10, set in 1992. The fewest, other than the inaugural race in 1911, is zero in 1912.
_ The starting grid features a United Nations roster of six rookies: Native Californian Kyle Larson (starting fifth), Marcus Armstrong of New Zealand (16th), Kyffin Simpson of the Cayman Islands (18th), Christian Rasmussen of Denmark (24th), Tom Blomqvist of Great Britain (25th) and Linus Lundqvist of Sweden (27th).
_ Other than the six rookies, native Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi is the only driver in the field who didn’t start the race in 2023. Fittipaldi’s last start was in 2021. Fittipaldi is a grandson of Emerson “Emmo” Fittipaldi, a two-time FIA Formula 1 World Driving Champion and double Indy 500 winner.
_ Helio Castroneves, now a minority owner of Meyer Shank Racing, is the most experienced driver in the field, with 23 previous Indianapolis 500 starts. The record is 35, set in consecutive years from 1958-1992 by Houston native A.J. Foyt Jr. “Super Tex” is the race’s first four-time winner.
_ Scott Dixon has led 665 career laps in the Indianapolis 500, the all-time event record. The only other driver in the field who has led more than 200 laps is Helio Castroneves (326).
_ Oldest driver in the starting field is Helio Castroneves at 49 years, 16 days on Race Day. The youngest driver is Kyffin Simpson, 19 years, 230 days. A.J. Foyt Jr. is the oldest driver to start the Indianapolis 500. He was 57 years, 128 days old when he made his last start in 1992. Foyt’s grandson, A.J. Foyt IV, is the youngest driver to start the Indianapolis 500. His 19th birthday was on Race Day, 2003.
_ Helio Castroneves will be older on Race Day than Al Unser when he became the oldest winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1987 at age 47 years, 360 days. Castroneves is bidding for a record fifth Indy 500 win in the No. 06 Cleveland-Cliffs Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing.
_ Kyffin Simpson will be younger on Race Day than Troy Ruttman when he became the youngest winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1952 at age 22 years, 80 days old. Ruttman, driver of the No. 98 Agajanian Kuzma/Offy, led four times for 44 laps.
_ There are a combined 222 previous Indianapolis 500 starts among the 33 drivers in this year’s field. The record is 260 years of experience, set in 1987 and 1992. There were 235 years of combined experience in last year’s field.
_ Row 7 is the most-experienced in this year’s starting lineup with a combined 62 career starts among Marco Andretti (18), Helio Castroneves (23) and Scott Dixon (21). The least-experienced rows are Rows 8 and 9, with two combined career starts_ (Row 8: Agustin Canapino (1), Sting Ray Robb (1), Christian Rasmussen (0); Row 9: Tom Blomqvist (0), Frenchman Romain Grosjean (2), Linus Lundqvist (0).
_ There are seven former Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year in this year’s field. The record is nine, in 1991 and 2021.
Starting lineup for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge NTT IndyCar Series event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with rank, car number in parentheses, driver, engine, time and speed in parentheses:
1.(3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 02:33.7017 (234.220 mph)
2. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 02:33.9007 (233.917)
3. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 02:33.9726 (233.808)
4. (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 02:34.4469 (233.090)
5. (17) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 02:34.6083 (232.848)
6. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 02:34.7110 (232.692)
7. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 02:34.7657 (232.610)
8. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 02:34.7829 (232.584)
9. (60) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 02:34.9686 (232.305)
10. (75) Takuma Sato, Honda, 02:35.0578 (232.171)
11. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 02:35.8490 (230.993)
12. (23) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, 02:36.1367 (230.567)
13. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 02:34.9616 (232.316)
14. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 02:34.9682 (232.306)
15. (6) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 02:35.0184 (232.230)
16. (11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 02:35.0504 (232.183)
17. (20) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 02:35.1608 (232.017)
18. (4) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 02:35.2069 (231.948)
19. (98) Marco Andretti, Honda, 02:35.2458 (231.890)
20. (06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 02:35.2587 (231.871)
21. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 02:35.2723 (231.851)
22. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 02:35.2750 (231.847)
23. (41) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 02:35.2888 (231.826)
24. (33) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 02:35.3852 (231.682)
25. (66) Tom Blomqvist, Honda, 02:35.4554 (231.578)
26. (77) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 02:35.4982 (231.514)
27. (8) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 02:35.5034 (231.506)
28. (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 02:35.5308 (231.465)
29. (24) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 02:35.6803 (231.243)
30. (30) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 02:35.7768 (231.100)
31. (51) Katherine Legge, Honda, 02:36.4590 (230.092)
32. (28) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 02:36.5037 (230.027)
33. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 02:36.5396 (229.974)
