By ZECH YODER
Well, as of 3 p.m. on Friday, the rain has held out and teams turned up the boost for Fast Friday practice in preparation for Indianapolis 500 qualifying today and tomorrow. What was a rainy week of practice looks to be hot and mostly sunny for qualifying.
The first few hours of Fast Friday practice revealed the speed of Penske and McLaren. All three Penske cars and three of the four McLaren cars were solidly in the top 10 on simulated qualifying runs. Additionally, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racings cars looked much faster than last year (though not top 12 speed) and appear to be out of the qualifying danger zone.
There are some, however, that should be worried – none more than 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner, Marcus Ericsson.
Ericsson was involved in a practice crash on Thursday that destroyed his primary car and forced him into a backup car. During the early Fast Friday running, Ericsson’s back-up car was slow and looked to be down on power. Teams put tremendous effort into preparing their primary Indianapolis 500 cars. He and his team have a lot of work ahead of them if they expect to capture a decent starting position with a backup car.
Also concerned should be Dale Coyne Racing’s Nolan Siegel. The youngster crashed coming off Turn 2 during a qualifying run, hitting the wall and landing upside down. As of 3 p.m. it is unclear whether the car is salvageable or whether Siegel will need to go to backup car. Regardless, his speed was near the bottom of the garage. A switch to a backup car could put Siegel in jeopardy of making the field.
With temperatures forecasted to be in the mid to high 80s, partly sunny skies, and relatively little wind, qualifying should be quite exciting. The higher temperatures will create more work for the drivers as higher track temperatures results in less grip. Accordingly, teams will attempt to time their qualifying runs around the cloud cover. Realistically, each team will have two, maybe three, qualifying attempts to make the round of 12 and run for pole position on Sunday. Just one little mistake could ruin a qualifying run or the chance at running in the Indianapolis 500.
Naturally, I expect Penske and McLaren, both Chevrolet teams, to be the fastest cars in qualifying. The Chevrolet cars have shown tremendous speed at Indianapolis the last couple years and I expect that trend to continue. Although not dominant during Fast Friday, I think Ganassi will get a couple cars into the round of 12. Scott Dixon always figures out how to be fast in qualifying and Alex Palou was the 2023 Indianapolis 500 pole winner.
All eyes will be on Kyle Larson. He has expressed his frustration about the lack of track time (mostly due to poor weather) but impressed with his simulated qualifying runs on Friday. Unlike the stock car Larson is used to driving, INDYCARS have numerous adjustment that must be made each qualifying lap. Larson has adapted quickly and looks to have a great opportunity to make the round of 12. Given his extensive racing background, especially on dirt, high track temperatures and a slick racetrack may play favorably for Kyle Larson.
If I had to make a prediction, Penske and McLaren lock out the front row. Newgarden takes the pole followed by Will Power and Pato O’Ward.
Zech Yoder is a local resident, an attorney at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville, and a lifelong race fan.