Caio Collet – Indianapolis 500 Open Test – Photo by Joe Skibinski
Indianapolis 500 Open Test

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

INDYCAR rookie Caio Collet of A.J. Foyt Racing rode the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s famed “aerodynamic wave” to the fastest overall speed on Wednesday, closing-out the Month of May’s annual Indianapolis 500 Open Test.

The 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone series runner-up, Collet turned a top lap of 226.381 mph in the No. 4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet during the early moments of Wednesday’s session. The start of Day 2 of testing around the 2.5-mile oval was delayed 75 minutes by damp track conditions created by overnight and morning rain.

Collet’s top speed was better than Tuesday’s hot lap of 225.394 mph by NTT IndyCar Series journeyman Conor Daly in the No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet, as drivers with at least 10 Indy 500 starts posted the five fastest speeds on Day 1 of the test.

SEE: Test Overall Speeds | Test Overall No-Tow Speeds | Wednesday AM | Wednesday PM

“Never expected that!” Collet said of his chart-topping lap. “Obviously, the team has a good background here and has done really, really well the last couple of years, especially last year. As a rookie, I was just trying to learn things and see how everything went. But the team, they did a really good job and got me up to speed quickly and I got really comfortable.”

Collet, a 24-year-old native of Brazil, is five races into his INDYCAR career with Waller, Texas-based Foyt Racing as fulltime teammate to Santino Ferrucci of Dallas. Ferrucci placed 16^th overall after a best lap of 223.281 mph in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet.

Collet and Ferruci will compete in the 110^th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday, May 24, with one-off teammate Katherine Legge of Great Britain. Legge completed her Veteran Refresher test in the No. 11 HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet Wednesday for the team owned by the first four-time winner of the Indy 500.

“Obviously, a lot of things I still have to learn, especially in traffic,” said Collet, who completed 227 total laps during the two-day program. “I have to understand how to manage traffic and how to get by people. But I think by myself I felt really good, and the team gave me a really good car both days.”

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden was second overall at 226.223 mph in the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, a lap also turned early in Wednesday’s session.

Reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Alex Palou of Spain drove up the speed chart from 16^th on Tuesday to fourth at 225.272 mph after 141 total laps in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou, the series’ four-time/reigning champion, has returned to IMS after having won three of the season’s first five events. Palou has built a 17-point lead in the driver standings over Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global.

Four-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves of Brazil _ who will turn 51 on May 10 _ was fifth overall at 225.200 mph after 126 total laps in the No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda.

Two-time Indy 500 runner-up Pato O’Ward, a 26-year-old native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas, was sixth overall at 225.109 mph after 144 total laps in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Japanese ace Takuma Sato, another two-time Indy 500 winner, was sixth overall at 224.957 mph in the No. 75 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda.

“Very happy. Very productive two days,” said Sato, a 49-year-old native of Tokyo making a one-off series appearance as favorite son of engine supplier Honda. “I think it’s a statement to every single team was a similar feeling that fortunate to have a good weather. It’s been a little bit, like, nervous in overnight, torrential rain. Really good condition. IMS did a good thing to prepare for us. Exit Turn 2 very good. We knew it from test. It’s been a pleasure to come back IMS and make us really happy.

“In terms of our team, over the course of the winter, I think the team did a really, really good job. Now four cars, meticulous quality control, build spec is very, very good. Everybody is happy. Me specifically, back in the car after six months absent, still happy place to be. Yeah, it’s been a very positive two days.”

Six-time series champion Scott Dixon of New Zealand, the 2008 Indy 500 champion, was eighth overall at 224.564 mph after 110 laps in the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

All top speeds recorded during the two-day test were boosted by an “aerodynamic tow,” the phenomenon that occurs when cars deeper in a line gain speed due to the leading cars punching a hole in the air to create a slipstream.

INDYCAR veteran Jack Harvey of Great Britain again emerged as the fastest driver running without a “tow.” Harvey’s top solo lap of 221.112 mph in the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet was, in fact, faster than his best solitary lap of 220.318 mph that led the “no-tow” chart on Tuesday.

“Hopefully, it’s just validation for everybody on the team for their hard work in the offseason is bearing some fruit,” said Harvey, who has traded the microphone he carries as an INDYCAR pit reporter for FOX Sports for the seat in DRR’s No. 24 Chevy. “We have no idea where anybody else was and we’ve got a decent amount left to come.

“This morning, was still some qualifying work for us. It’s really about trying to validate all of our tool sets, so throughout the rest of the month we can trust our information. That’s a really huge thing, especially for a team as good as Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, we still have to trust all of the information and be confident in that as we move forward. I feel like we’ve had another really smooth morning and we’ll come back in the afternoon in race mode.”

There was, however, a damper to Harvey’s solo speed. A large, billowing plume of white smoke erupted from his twin-turbocharged Chevy V-6 engine between Turns 3 and 4 in traffic midway through the afternoon. Harvey hurried into the pits, his test ended prematurely.

“I had a little bit of a hesitation on the exit of (Turn) 3 and just looked down and saw the smoke immediately,” said Harvey, a 33-year-old native of Bassingham, England. “I’ve had engines that have had issues here in the past, and when it happens it’s normally very obvious. What happened then wasn’t. Not how we wanted to end the day, but I still think overall it’s been a pretty productive test.”

Legge completed her Veteran Refresher test in the No. 11 HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet during a one-hour lunch break for the rest of the field to become the last driver so-far eligible to fill the traditional 33-car field.

Legge, who was announced as driver of Foyt’s No. 11 car on Monday, worked up to speed to pass the first phase of her refresher, which allowed her to run the rest of the day. A four-time starter at IMS, Legge logged 82 laps and finished the test with the 24th-quickest “no-tow” lap at 217.261 mph. 

“We had a great day,” said Legge, a 45-year-old native of Guildford, England. “We achieved everything that we set out to achieve, and the team did a fantastic job, getting everything prepared and giving me a good car. I think we went through everything methodically at the right cadence, and I feel very comfortable. ‘No-tow’ speeds, I think we’re very competitive for the amount of downforce we have (dialed) in. And I’m looking forward to playing in traffic next time we’re back.”

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.

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.

Newgarden led Wednesday’s final session at 225.617mph, with Daly and O’Ward making it three of the top five from Team Chevy.

Daly, who finished eighth in last year’s Indy 500 driving for Juncos Hollinger Racing, placed third on the overall chart at 225.304 mph after 116 total laps. “It’s not like worlds will change when we come back here in May,” said Daly, a 34-year-old native of Noblesville, Ind. “Ganassi will show up with their Speedway cars, some other people will show up with their Speedway cars.

“For the most part, yeah, mountains don’t move from now to May. You might be able to find a few small things here and there. We also will get better. We know immediately how to get better. I think that’s kind of what excites us most.

“Again, the last two runs were really encouraging just with heavy fuel, having (Firestone Firehawk) tires degrade. Being able to run close to some good cars, that felt ideal. But I kind of already know what I want differently. I think my engineer does, too. A lot of notes to take from here. Again, the setup book is massive at this place. You could go through so many different things to find kind of what suits you exactly right. I think that’s what our plan is.”

Newgarden, the Indy 500 champion in 2023 and 2024, returns to IMS as the series’ acknowledged oval-track ace and primary competition for Palou’s bid to win back-to-back at the Speedway.

“This is just the first step towards coming back here next month and trying to win another Indianapolis 500,” said Newgarden, a 35-year-old resident of Nashville, Tenn., and winner of the series’ lone oval-track event so far this season at the 1-mile Phoenix Raceway. “We have a good base to come back with. It was a pretty clean day for the Shell Fuel Rewards Chevy team and it’s always nice to see your number towards the top of the pylon. Team Chevy brought good power once again. It is a long month to get to the race but we’re in a good place leaving the test.”

All 33 drivers are now eligible to participate when practice for the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge opens Tuesday, May 12, as all four rookies and four other veterans completed their required testing Tuesday. The 33 cars combined to turn 4,697 incident-free laps _ a total of 11,742.5 miles _ over the two-day test.

Other than Harvey’s mechanical problem, the closest thing to an incident Wednesday occurred when a fox ran onto the racing surface from the infield, triggering an immediate caution flag until the animal scurried from the facility.

Up next for NTT IndyCar Series regulars is the Sonsio Grand Prix, which will open the Month of May on May 8-9 on the 2.439-mile/14-turn IMS Road-Course.

For more information or to buy tickets for both Month of May events, visit IMS.com.

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