Howard finds speed as Day 4 enters Happy Hour

Josef Newgarden hit the wall, Sebastien Bourdais lost an engine and Jay Howard found some big-time speed on the fourth day of practice for the 101st Indianapolis 500.

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Newgarden made the first hard contact of the month when he crashed Roger Penske's Hum Chevy exiting Turn 1.

"I’m not sure what went on. It was probably my mistake, but until I get to look at everything it’s hard to tell. I feel bad for our guys that we’ve got extra work," said Newgarden, whose lap of 225.455mph was still fifth fastest with an hour left in practice and quickest Chevy.

Bourdais, who lost a Honda power plant in last Saturday's IndyCar Grand Prix, blew another one in early afternoon in Dale Coyne's Dallara DW-12.

Howard, the 2006 Indy Lights champion who has not driven an IndyCar since 2011, cut loose with a lap of 226.744mph in the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports/Team One Cure Honda. It was the quickest lap of the week and came during a massive drafting party but it was almost one mph faster than Ryan Hunter-Reay's lap of 225.826 mph in the Andretti Autosport Honda.

Marco Andretti led the Honda parade with a third-best circuit of 225.709 mph and rookie Fernando Alonso clocked a 225.619mph in the McLaren Honda, good for fourth.

1996 Indy 500 champion Buddy Lazier made his month of May debut with an installation lap.