The final practice session ahead of the latest begins with an hour of track time reserved to the drivers taking part in the Fast 12. The first driver to get on track was Pato O’Ward, which signed a four laps average of 233.462mph, consistently better than his yesterday’s achievement.
Among yesterday’s surprise names in the top 12there definitely was Ryan Hunter Reay, up next and recording a best lap speed of 232.11mph.
Twenty minutes into the session, Rosenqvist takes the top spot, with a fastest lap of 233.485mph, but it’s short lasted as Newgarden’s following attempt puts the reigning 500 champion on top with a best single lap speed of 234.052, the fastest of all day, which allows him to improve Rosenqvist’s previous best average speed of 232.848mph to an impressive 233.707mph.
Photo credits Team Penske
Just past the midway point of the session McLaughlin goes out for a qualifying simulation and slots in P3 with an average speed of 232.655mph.
Power is upset by the fact he didn’t have the chance to test the Fast 12 conditions during yesterday’s qualifying, after suffering from yet another plenum event for a Chevrolet engine in the past 24 hours, precisely the seventh.
The Penske driver appears not as performant as yesterday, with the eleventh and last fastest speed of 231.990mph. Veekay has elected not to run in the session.
Larson has a moment on the dirt out of Turn 1 but is able to keep everything on track and not crash.
Preparation are already in order for the Bumping Day drivers as well. Rahal sporting a new gearbox as well as new rear uprights. DCR has also removed some downforce off of Siegel’s car, hoping it’ll help the young American driver to find a bit more speed.
Ten minutes to go Ferrucci as well has to abort his four laps qualifying simulation due to another engine issue, with the AJ Foyt driver unable to complete a quali simulation in the full hour of practise.
The top five thus remains the same, featuring Newgarden as the best Chevrolet driver, lengths ahead of Rosenqvist as the best Honda powered contender.
In the second hour of practise the track was left to the bottom four drivers. First out on track was the only rookie involved in the session, Nolan Siegel. His first practise simulation is on par with the performance he had had yesterday, averaging a 228. 955mph.
Up next is Rahal, who has engine issues as well just like yesterday in spite of the new engine, and has an average speed of 229.410mph, similar to Siegel’s. RLL’s Katherine Legge has the fastest average of the runners so far in 231.011mph.
The young rookie driver will be supported by Tony Kanaan in his attempt of qualifying for the 500, with the McLaren advisor on Siegel’s team for the session. Ericsson’s first attempt of the day has him sign an average of 230.530mph, which has him comfortably ahead of Rahal and Siegel.
Rahal goes out again for another practise run, but has to abort it due to yet another trouble, this time caused by his rear right suspension and mentioning on the radio:”Something is broken” with 20 minutes to go.
It’s a shame as the RLL driver was actually improving his previous effort. Will history repeat itself, forcing the four times IndyCar podium sitter to be bumped out for the second year in a row?
