Andretti Autosport had its best day of the year as three of its drivers filled the top four positions on the first day of running for the 104th Indianapolis 500.
The six-car team placed James Hinchcliffe and the No. 29 Honda at the top of the field (224,526mph) and Marco Andretti’s No. 98 Honda in the second (224,345mph), as drivers ran into packs for most of the 2.5-hour lunch session. Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing held third in his no. 9 Honda (224,047mph), Andretti’s Ryan Hunter-Reay – second fastest on the no-tow list for Wednesday – was fourth (223,341mph), and Arrow McLaren SP’s Fernando Alonso took fifth (223,238mph) as Team’s first representative Chevy.
“It’s always fun to run off the truck here with a car that has a good pace,” Hinchcliffe said after turning 80 laps. “Huge credit for everyone at Andretti Autosport; they have a bunch of fast cars. It has good pace with one car, it has good pace in traffic. Can’t ask for much more for a first date. ”
The fastest among the rookies was Dale Coyne Racing’s Alex Palou, who on his first day claimed eighth (223,128 mph) on the Speedway in the Honda no. 55. Andretti’s Alexander Rossi led all drivers in the no-tow category, placing it (221,952mph) en route to the 18thth-last round of the day. Ganassi’s Marcus Ericsson was the leader with high mileage, turning 129 laps in the Honda no. 8.
Most of Wednesday’s work in the field involved learning about the new aeroscreen and making the necessary chassis and aero modifications to adapt to the 58-pound steering gear.
“Every time they throw something new on the cars, you absolutely have to do some work,” Hinchcliffe said. ‘Of course we did not have a chance to run here; it’s a big difference on the car. ”
Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden was the fastest driver of the defending race winners to finish sixth (223,188mph); teammate Simon Pagenaud, who rode in Victory Lane in 2019, was 12th (222.849mph). In general, Penske drivers spent a lot of time running through each other in lead-follow stints and placed a significant emphasis on long runs to measure the performance changes as fuel loads and tires were consumed.
“I felt like getting back on track and going through the processes,” Newgarden said. ‘It’s great to be back here with Indy. So thankful that we are able to run. I think we’ll be putting on a great show next weekend. That’s what we’re working on, trying to make our race car drive in traffic. It’s interesting to see who’s quick out of the gate, who’s not. We have a long process here. This is a good starting point for us.
Among the other items on Wednesday, four of the five rookies completed their Rookie Orientation program runs during the Dedicated ROP session, and with permission to complete his ROP requirements in the final session, AJ Foyt Racing’s Dalton Kellett removed the last hard and made it five for five.
Because of the last-minute deals that made DragonSpeed’s No. 81 Chevy last entry into the field, the Indiana-based team spent the day in the garage getting Ben Hanley’s car ready, and despite missing all three sessions. , the series gave the team a 30-minute window to shake the car at the conclusion of the practice and try to meet the Briton’s refreshment requirements. After counter-attacking and running a total of three rounds, IndyCar gave DragonSpeed more time for Hanley to complete its overhaul Thursday morning.
Other than a brief period of caution to pick up Marco Andretti’s stationary car, opening day was unmanned.
THE RESULTS
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