INDIANAPOLIS – Time to gear up for “Fast Friday” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Drivers are expected to turn the fastest laps so far. Cars will feature extra horsepower, allowing racers to coax out as much speed as they can.
Friday’s practice session is scheduled for 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Public gates will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Find ticket information at the IMS website.
After Friday’s practice session, teams will participate in the qualifications draw to determine their order for Indy 500 qualifying on Saturday.
While drivers certainly got more time on the track Thursday, rain dampened Indianapolis 500 practice for the third day in a row.
Thursday’s session saw a 68-minute delay late in the afternoon and ended up being called off early because of pesky showers. Still, dry weather during the bulk of the scheduled eight hours allowed 34 drivers to take the track.
Pato O’Ward emerged as the fastest driver, topping the speed charts at 228.861 mph ahead of “Fast Friday.” Scott McLauglin (227.316 mph), Alex Palou (226.915 mph), Colton Herta (226.828 mph) and Josef Newgarden (226.684 mph) rounded out the top five.
Thursday’s session saw the first two crashes of practice, one involving rookie Linus Lundqvist and another involving 2022 Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson. Both drivers escaped injury.
Lundqvist made contact with the SAFER barrier after sliding through Turn 2. His car sustained significant damage, bringing an end to his day. He led all rookies with a best lap of 226.261 mph, good for seventh overall.
Ericsson spun in Turn 4 and hit the SAFER barrier. The car continued to spin and hit another barrier. The team said it would have to move to a backup car because of the amount of damage.
Kyle Larson, the NASCAR driver who’s attempting to pull off the Indy 500/Coca-Cola 600 “double” this year, turned 29 laps on Thursday. His fastest lap was 222.805 mph, putting him in 25th place.
The 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 26.
