Power tops rain-shortened opening day of Indy 500 practice

Team Penske was the fastest program on Tuesday's opening day of practice for the Indianapolis 500 as 2018 race winner Will Power topped all 34 drivers with a lap of 227.026mph in the No. 12 Chevy.

Defending, back-to-back Indy winner Josef Newgarden was second-fastest at 226.971mph in the No. 2 Chevy, and the third member of the trio, 2024 Indy polesitter Scott McLaughlin, was fifth-fastest in the No. 3 Chevy at 225.005mph as most drivers spent the afternoon making use of aerodynamic tows.

In 2024, the opening day of running in non-hybrid specification saw the best average speed set by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon at 229.107mph in the No. 9 Honda and Andretti Global’s Marco Andretti follow in second with a 228.399mph lap in the No. 98 Honda with the benefit of tows.

“I think we’ve got a pretty good baseline,” Power said. “My teammates are pretty good. I learned a thing or two off them. You’ve got to look for your weaknesses and improve.”

The first day of practice for the 109th Indy 500 got off to a late start as persistent sprinkles pushed the start back from 12pm, and once the green flag waved over the shortened run from 2:30-6pm ET, veterans and Indy 500 winners Dixon and Helio Castroneves shot to the top of the speed chart.

After an hour of lapping, Newgarden improved upon Dixon’s 225.059mph lap by moving the bar to 226.971mph. McLaughlin rose to third with a 225.005mph tour.

Running in race configuration with higher levels of downforce was the plan for teams on Tuesday, which made the tow-assisted laps a valuable — but slightly premature — indicator of what might be possible as swarms of cars fight for victory on race day.

Ganassi’s Alex Palou was fourth with an hour left to go with a 224.599mph in the No. 10 Honda and had Castroneves close in fifth with the No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda at 224.523mph. Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi was sixth with the No. 20 Chevy at 224.347mph. Leading the no-tow chart was Andretti’s Kyle Kirkwood in the No. 27 Honda with a 219.497mph, and Newgarden was next on the list at 219.149mph.

By 5:20pm, Penske’s Will Power took the top position as a group of 10 cars took turns towing and passing each other; the No. 12 Chevy delivered a 227.026mph lap in the exercise. The threat of lightning arrived at 5:26pm, and by 5:29, the session was ended as teams and fans were instructed to seek shelter.

With a 70-percent chance of showers on Wednesday, weather could slow the second day of Indy 500 practice as well.