Conor Daly – Indianapolis 500 Open Test – Photo by Walt Kuhn

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

It’s late April, but the motorsports calendar officially flipped to the Month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, Day 1 of the Indianapolis 500 Open Test.

INDYCAR journeyman Conor Daly topped the speed chart with a hot lap of 225.394 mph in the No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet. A 12-time Indianapolis 500 starter, Daly was among five drivers at the top of the chart to have made at least 10 starts in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The race’s 110^th edition will take the green flag on Sunday, May 24.

 SEE: Day 1 Test Results | Day 1 No-Tow Results

“Good to get back in the swing of things here,” said Daly, a 34-year-old native of Noblesville, Ind. “The team did a great job of preparing all winter for this day. It’s only Day 1 for us, but it was obviously a good day. Thankful to be working with Chevrolet again and also everyone at ARCO and Kingspan. It’s only Day 1 _ on to Day 2.” 

Daly finished eighth at IMS last May driving for Juncos Hollinger Racing. “There are several teams that aren’t running their race cars yet,” Daly said. “It’s just testing; we can’t overreact to test results. But honestly, every time we went out there, we did seem to be pretty quick, which is good. Our mission this month (May) is one day at a time.”

The most experienced driver in the field _ four-time 500 winner Helio Castroneves _ was second-fast at 225.200 mph in the No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda. The popular Brazilian is aiming to make his 26th Indy 500 start in a bid to become the first driver to win the race five times.

Two-time Indy 500 champion Takuma Sato was third at 224.800 mph in the No. 75 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda. The Japanese ace has made 16 starts in the 500.

Daly, Castroneves and Sato each turned their best laps on the 2.5-mile oval during the last 15 minutes of on-track action. Many cars circulated in large packs during “Happy Hour,” creating “aerodynamic tows” that pulled the cars running toward the back of the line.

“Honestly, we changed pretty much everything but the color of the car for that last run, so we were not dialed-in or optimized at all,” Daly said. “But this car is fast, so it’s easier to do those kinds of speeds when the car allows you to do it. It was a fun race car, but we were not in maximum race trim yet. Hopefully we’ll dial that in (Wednesday) and get a little more zesty with everyone out there.”

Six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon of New Zealand, the Indy 500 champion in 2008, was fourth at 224.564 mph in the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Alexander Rossi, who won the landmark 100^th Indianapolis 500 in 2016 as a rookie, completed the top-five at 224.367 mph in the No. 20 ECR Chevrolet.

Reigning Indy 500 champion Alex Palou of Spain placed 16^th overall via a best lap of 222.088 mph after 51 laps in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. The four-time/reigning NTT IndyCar Series champion, Palou has won three of the season’s first five events to take a 17-point lead over Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Autosport.

Native New Zealander Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet, was quickest in the speed trap at the “Yard Of Bricks” at 238.786 mph. Additionally, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward at 229.566 mph in Turn 1 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet and two-time Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 Team Penske Chevy at the same speed in Turn 3, were fastest in the speed traps at the end of the five-eighths-of-a-mile straightaways. 

“I love this place,” said O’Ward, a 26-year-old native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas. “Today, I was coming down the tunnel, knowing it was kind of the first day of May, I think it’s good to call it, is awesome. It’s awesome to be here. I genuinely love it more and more and more the longer that I get to come here, to have this opportunity to race at the Indy 500. That was our first run, basically, and it feels good, nothing feels strange and I’m just happy to be back here.”

Nearly every driver’s fastest lap was aided by the “tow” from a leading car punching a hole in the air. Daly’s teammate, veteran Jack Harvey of Great Britain, was the fastest driver without any aerodynamic help at 220.318 mph in the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet in a marquee day for the team that fields cars only in the Indy 500.

Four Indianapolis 500 rookies and four veteran drivers completed the Rookie Orientation Program and Veteran Refresher tests, respectively. The rookies _ Jacob Abel, Caio Collet, Dennis Hauger and Mick Schumacher. The veterans _ team-owner Ed Carpenter, Castroneves, Harvey and 2014 Indy 500 champion Ryan Hunter-Reay in the No. 31 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Collet is five races into his rookie INDYCAR season with Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing, the team founded by the first four-time winner of the Indy 500.

“I think it’s obviously the best thing I’ve done in my life,” said Collet, a 24-year-old native of Brazil and driver of the No. 4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet. “The first time you’re actually here, you see guys flying by and think, ‘Oh, can I really do that?’ Once you get in the car, the team does a good job prepping you to be here and to do the laps. We got it all done, got up to speed quite quickly.” Collet was the day’s busiest driver, completing 138 laps/345 miles around the iconic oval. 

Thirty-two of the 33 cars at the track combined to turn 2,262 incident-free laps _ 5,655 miles, the approximate driving distance from Los Angeles to New York and back _ on Tuesday. The eight-hour session was divided into six hours of track time for veterans and two hours for Rookie Orientation and Veteran Refresher tests.

Testing will continue until 5 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, with all sessions streamed live on the INDYCAR YouTube channel.

Practice for the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge will start on Tuesday, May 12. For more information or to buy tickets, visit IMS.com.

Indy 500 veteran Katherine Legge, named to drive the No. 11 HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet on Monday, was unable to complete her Veteran Refresher test Tuesday. Legge was scheduled to get on-track during Wednesday’s lunch break.

Legge’s Indy 500 effort is being backed by primary sponsor e.l.f. Cosmetics, a brand from e.l.f. Beauty. As the only woman entered in this year’s 500, Legge is poised to add to a legacy that traces to trailblazer Janet Guthrie _ and quite fittingly _ A.J. Foyt Jr. during his IMS heyday.

In May 1976, Guthrie launched her effort to earn a place at IMS. After facing skepticism and extraordinary scrutiny, Guthrie was given a pivotal opportunity when Foyt _ aka “Super Tex” _ allowed her to test one of his backup cars _ a moment widely credited with changing perceptions of what women could achieve in motorsports. One year later, Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for and compete in the Indy 500, the same race in which Foyt won his record-setting fourth 500.

In what looms as bona fide “full-circle” moment, Foyt’s team will field Legge’s entry. Legge is looking to make her fifth Indy 500 start after becoming just the ninth woman to qualify for the race in 2012. In 2023, she became the fastest woman to qualify for the race, posting an average speed of 231.07 mph. Legge remains one of the most accomplished female drivers in global motorsport _ including being the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America, the first to lead laps in Champ Car and the first to lead the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“We worked incredibly hard to be back at this year’s Indianapolis 500, and I don’t take a single moment of it for granted,” said Legge, a 45-year-old native of Guildford, England. “I’m beyond grateful to e.l.f. Cosmetics for believing that women deserve to take up space in every arena, including this one. Together, we’re proving that when you invest in a woman’s dream, there’s no limit to what she can achieve.

“It honestly feels like Christmas being back at the 500. Every time I return, I gain a deeper appreciation for what it takes _ not just to compete here, but to earn the opportunity to be here in the first place. I’m reminded that I’m a small part of this enormously storied event. To the A.J. Foyt Racing organization, HMD, Chevrolet, INDYCAR and my team at BRANDed Management _ thank you for fighting tirelessly to make this possible.”

Legge will be teamed at IMS with Foyt Racing INDYCAR regulars Santino Ferrucci and rookie Caio Collet. “A.J. Foyt Racing has always been about giving racers a real shot,” Team President Larry Foyt said. “The collaboration with our partners at HMD and e.l.f. Cosmetics has helped bring this program to the grid. Katherine has earned this opportunity, and we’re committed to giving her a strong, competitive platform.”

HMD Motorsports President Mike Maurini added, “This is a tremendous opportunity for HMD Motorsports and an incredibly proud moment for everyone involved with our organization. We have worked hard to establish HMD as a leader in driver development, and to now be part of an Indianapolis 500 program alongside A.J. Foyt Racing and Katherine Legge is something very special.

“Katherine brings a wealth of experience, A.J. Foyt Racing brings unmatched history and together we believe we have assembled a program that can make a strong impression throughout the Month of May.”

NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 205; 2, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 188; 3, David Malukas, Team Penske, 142; 4, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 136; 5, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 131; 6, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 130; 7, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 127; 8, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 120; 9, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 109; 10, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 106; 

11, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 105; 12, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 104; 13, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 104; 14, Will Power, Andretti Global, 89; 15, Rinus VeeKay, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 79; 16, Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing, 76; 17, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 75; 18, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 74; 19, Romain Grosjean, Dale Coyne Racing, 60; 20, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 60;

21, Caio Collet, A.J. Foyt Racing, 59; 22, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 59; 23, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 56; 24, Mick Schumacher, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 44; 25, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 42.

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, 4:30 p.m.

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

Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of 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

Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 2

Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of 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