NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader Alex Palou in the No.10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda led the way on day 2 of practice for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
The Spaniard set a fastest speed of 227.547MPH. Speaking following the action he said:
We did a little bit of (running in) traffic. “It’s always tough when people are in different run plans. A couple of good traffic runs. The car is feeling good. You always want it to feel a little bit better, but so far, so good.
“This is the biggest race, and that’s what we work so much toward. So, we’re going to try and chase that win.”
Team Penske’s Will Power in the No.12 Verizon Chevrolet and defending Indy 50p winner Josef Newgarden were second and third respectively.
Scott Dixon in the No.9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda was fourth fastest with a 225.092MPH.
It was a great day for Juncos Hollinger Racing and Conor Daly in the No.76 ampm Chevrolet who was fifth with a speed of 224.931MPH. Speaking following the action, Daly said:
“I feel good. Today was a nice reset after yesterday. Got through a couple things that we wanted to. I feel quite confident in this car, honestly. It feels really good. I think we have some good natural speed, but we just have to keep dialing in the balance. But don’t want to over-react too much, but it feels good. Today was a good day for us.”
It was a great day for AJ Foyt Racing’s David Malukas as he ended the day 6th with a speed of 224.618MPH.
Marcus Armstrong was seventh just ahead of Helio Castroneves and Jack Harvey who did a great job for Dreyer and Reinbold Racing with Cusick Motorsports as he ended the day in ninth place in the No.24 INVST Chevrolet with a speed of 224.36MPH.
Speaking following the action, Harvey said:
Overall, it was a well-executed day for the INVST crew. We verified the changes we made overnight that worked today. We actually stayed out in pit lane as a rainstorm was coming. And we ran some additional laps. We wanted to get as many laps as possible if it did rain. We did a good job minimizing the time in the garage today. We tried various things, and we went back to the direction we like and made me more confident. All the years here at IMS, confidence is a big thing for me with the race car. For the race setup, we have made improvements each day.”
Christian Rasmussen ended the day in tenth place just ahead of Louis Foster who had a solid day for Rahal in 11th.
Speaking following the action he said:
The day was better than yesterday but there are still improvements to be made for sure. It was kind of an up and down day really, not only with the weather but also with the car. There are still things to work on like getting me more comfortable in the car, there are things I need to learn 100 percent and learn more from the guys. All in all it was a good day. We’ll see what we’ve got tomorrow.”
Colton Herta in the No.26 Gainbridge Honda was 12th just ahead of Kyle Larson. Speaking following the action, Larson said:
I’m glad we were able to get some race runs today compared to yesterday. That’s really what I wanted to focus on mainly today. We were able to try running in the front of the pack and the middle and get an idea for the balance especially with the cars we were running around.”
Ryan Hunter-Reay was 14th for Dreyer and Reinbold Racing with Cusick Motorsports and speaking following the action he said:
Today was super useful despite the rain delay. We got through a lot of stuff and we found a good direction with the Wedbush Chevy. In terms of racing running. And I’m looking forward to more of it on Thursday. I’m thankful for the hard work of the team in finding the proper direction. I feel good with the race car right now. But we to find a little more on Thursday.”
Takuma Sato was 15th just ahead of Scott McLaughlin and Graham Rahal. Speaking following the action Rahal said:
Today was one of the tougher days I’ve had around this place. I just couldn’t really make any improvements all day, which is strange. We have some work to do over the next two days. There were a lot of laps turned here today and on the 15 car we were expecting to do some qualifying simulations, not full but to get an idea of where were are, but we ended up not doing that so we could focus on the balance of the race car. I feel like all of our cars will have raw speed and be okay in qualifying. It looks like it’s going to be hot and windy and when it’s windy around here that tests the car and drivers more than anything else. That will put an emphasis on making sure the balance is right.”
Kyle Kirkwood was 18th just ahead of Devlin DeFrancesco and Pato O’Ward whi rounded out the top twenty.
Marcus Ericsson was 21st just ahead of Alexander Rossi and Felix Rosenqvist.
Marco Andretti was 24th just ahead of Nolan Siegel and Jacob Abel. Kyffin Simpson had a tough day in 27th with a 222.476MPH.
Robert Shwartzman was 28th just ahead of Rinus VeeKay and Christian Lundgaard.
Callum Ilott was 31st just ahead of Sting Ray Robb and Santino Ferrucci who says the team will be reverting to their 2024 Indy 500 car.
Ed Carpenter rounded out the order in 34th.