Josef Newgarden tops Indy 500 testing with 229mph lap

Newgarden’s best run came on his 89^th of 119 laps, carving a 39.2125sec lap around the iconic 2.5-mile oval to set fastest speed at 229.519mph.

In today’s four hour session – delayed by morning rain and mist – 15 cars beat Scott Dixon’s marker from yesterday’s foreshortened test.

Newgarden’s closest challenger was two-time Indy 500 champion Takuma Sato in the Dale Coyne Racing with RWR-Honda, who was less than 0.1mph slower than the Penske driver, and ahead of Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda’s extra entry, driven by 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan and Dixon.

Last year’s Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Scott McLaughlin was fifth ahead of the fastest Andretti Autosport-Honda, the Kulr-backed #98 piloted by 2020 polesitter Marco Andretti.

Alex Palou, last year’s runner-up was seventh for Ganassi ahead of IndyCar Series sophomore but Indy 500 rookie Jimmie Johnson, who was the first driver to crack a 225mph lap and also looked very comfortable in traffic.

Marcus Ericsson ensured all five Ganassi entries were in the Top 10, and the Swede also turned the most laps today, at 148.

Despite that encouragement for Ganassi-Honda, the top six laps set without the aid of a tow came from Chevrolet drivers, the fastest of whom was Rinus VeeKay in the #21 Ed Carpenter Racing entry. His car also looked impressively stable in the draft, appearing able to pull out and pass anyone who got in his way.

The three Arrow McLaren SP-Chevys of Felix Rosenqvist, Pato O’Ward and Juan Pablo Montoya may have only ended up ninth, 21^st and 31^st respectively but all three were able to hang tight to cars in front through the turns, and two-time Indy winner reported that he was in a happy place with the car, and far more comfortable with its handling than last year.

2018 Indy winner Will Power said he was very happy with his race setup, and his car appeared to be a rocketship through Turn 4, but he admitted in terms of outright pace no one would know where they stand until the boost is turned up and cars run solo without the aid of a draft during qualifying simulations.

Helio Castroneves, who suffered a shunt at Turn 2 yesterday, did not return to action today, as predicted. There were no accidents today, the only yellows coming for track inspections, although at least twice Indy rookie Romain Grosjean drifted high in dirty air through Turn 1 and flirted with the wall.