McLaughlin, the 2023 Indy 500 pole sitter, was quickest during Thursdayโs morning session, which featured increased turbo boost levels akin to those used during โFast Fridayโ and qualifying. The Team Penske driver clocked a best lap of 232.686 mph in the No. 3 Pennzoil Chevrolet โ the fastest across the two days of testing.
โWe had a really good couple of days,โ McLaughlin said. โThe high-boost session was a bit chaotic with yellows and a dirty track, but we managed to get through our hybrid programme and found a solid car balance.โ
In the afternoon session, which returned to the lower Race Day boost levels, defending series champion and current points leader Alex Palou set the pace. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver recorded a best lap of 223.993 mph in the No. 10 DHL Honda.
โYouโve got to keep chasing improvements,โ Palou said. โComfort in traffic and speed when running solo โ thatโs the car that gives me a chance to win.โ
Takuma Sato, a two-time Indy 500 winner, was second fastest in the morning with a no-tow lap of 232.565 mph in the No. 75 AMADA Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. However, his session ended prematurely after crashing in Turn 1 just five laps later.
โI lost the car, simple as that,โ Sato said. โIโm fine physically, but itโs heartbreaking.โ
Will Power (232.278 mph), Felix Rosenqvist (232.100), and Palou (231.843) rounded out the top five in the morning. In the afternoon, Rosenqvist backed up his earlier pace with a 223.366 mph lap to finish second again. Kyle Kirkwood (223.362), Conor Daly (223.298), and Josef Newgarden (223.255) completed the top five.
Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup champion and 2024 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, also hit trouble. The Arrow McLaren driver crashed in Turn 1 during the morning session and made secondary contact in Turn 2. He was uninjured but did not return to the track. Larson is aiming to complete the Indy 500 and NASCARโs Coca-Cola 600 on the same day โ the ambitious โDoubleโ.
Chevrolet bounced back strongly on Thursday, with two drivers in the top five in both sessions. Honda had dominated Wednesday, powering nine of the top 10.
Across the two days, 34 cars completed 5,804 laps โ covering more than 14,500 miles.
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES now moves into its Month of May triple-header. Racing resumes with the Childrenโs of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday, May 4. Then comes the Sonsio Grand Prix on the IMS road course (May 10), before attention turns to the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 25.
