APRIL 30, 2025
Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 08:03AM 
The two names atop the speed charts Thursday came as little surprise on the final day of the Indianapolis 500 Open Test last week, which featured two segments with distinct engine performance setups.
Last year’s Indy 500 pole winner Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Team Penske Pennzoil Chevrolet) was fastest during the morning session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, which had cars using the same elevated turbo boost levels as “Fast Friday” practice May 16 and PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on May 17-18. McLaughlin’s top lap was 232.686 mph, the fastest trip around the 2.5-mile oval in two days of testing last week.
“We had a really good day, a good couple of days,” McLaughlin said. “(I) felt like we got through a lot from a hybrid perspective.
“Then I felt like the morning qualifying session – the high-boost session – was a bit of a crapshoot. (There were a) couple yellows. When the track got better, it was a bit dirty from some of the shunts, as well. Then everyone was trying to cram a lot into 40 minutes. But overall, a really solid (car) balance to kick off the Month of May.”
Three-time and two-time reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing DHL Honda) topped the speed charts during the afternoon session, which featured boost levels reduced to the same levels that will be used on Race Day for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 25. Current championship leader Palou’s top lap in the afternoon was 223.993 mph.
“You need to keep on always chasing it and trying to make it better,” Palou said. “Trying to make it more comfortable when running in traffic, trying to make it faster when you're alone. That’s the car that gives me a chance (to win), for sure.”
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato (No. 75 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing AMADA Honda) was second fastest in the “boosted” session in the morning with his lap of 232.565 mph. Sato’s lap also was the fastest of the test without the benefit of an aerodynamic “tow” from the slipstream of a leading car.
But Sato’s glory was short-lived and showed the risks of living on the edge of a lightning bolt with cars in tricky, low-downforce, high-boost qualifying setups. Sato had completed just eight laps in the morning session, with his best lap on Lap 3, when his car made heavy contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 1 and came to a stop in Turn 2 with heavy damage.
2017 and 2020 Indy winner Sato was uninjured, but the sight of his crumpled race car specifically built and massaged for the "500" was painful.
“I lost it; I simply lost it,” Sato said. “It’s hard. My body is fine. It’s just the car … I lost the car. That’s heartbreaking.”
2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power (No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet) was third in the “boosted” session at 232.278, followed by Felix Rosenqvist at 232.100 in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing SiriusXM Honda. Palou rounded out the top five at 231.843. (Thank you to INDYCAR Media)
Editor's Note: This is our dearly departed billboard, which we had at Road America for several years. Peter gifted the phrase "America's National Park of Speed" to the track, which now uses it proudly in all of its communications. -WG
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG
