Team Penske leads Day 1 at Indy at almost 230 mph

Will Power

While Team Penske Chevy drivers Will Power and Simon Pagenaud were fastest on opening practice day for the 103rd running of the Indy 500 at 229.745mph and 229.703mph, those speeds were set with a tow.

Chevy powered cars ran 1-2-3-4 with Ed Carpenter and Helio Castroneves in close pursuit, both with Chevy power.

The fastest Honda was rookie. Colton Herta in 5th.

However, the drivers with the fastest non-tow speeds in the 223-224mph range were Ed Jones, JR Hildebrand, Ed Carpenter and Alexander Rossi. Everyone else, including Power and Pagenaud were 222mph or slower without a tow.

A year ago, Power delivered team owner Roger Penske his record 17th Indianapolis 500 victory. The 2014 NTT IndyCar Series champion was pleased to start his repeat bid well, but knows that most of Tuesday's speeds weren't representative because they came with the aid of aerodynamic tows from leading cars.

"All the big speeds came from big tows," Power said.

"It's kind of hard to judge the true speeds of cars right now by themselves," he added. "You don't know what aero configuration people are running, whether they're doing qualifying sims or they're in race trim. We don't know where we stack up, honestly, as far as true speed."

Colton Herta

Power, in the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, led a charge of four Chevrolet-powered Dallaras atop the speed chart, three from Team Penske. Simon Pagenaud, fresh off a triumph Saturday in the INDYCAR Grand Prix on the IMS road course, was second fastest at 229.703 mph in the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet and three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves fourth in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevy (228.441 mph).

Ed Carpenter, the team owner/driver and pole winner in 2018, was third on the speed chart at 228.653 mph in the No. 20 Preferred Freezer Services Chevrolet. Ed Jones, Carpenter's teammate in the No. 63 Ed Carpenter Racing Scuderia Corsa Chevy, clocked the fastest lap without the aid of a tow, 224.542 mph.

"There is always more you can get done, but today was a really good start," Carpenter said. "The baseline setup was good and we were able to work through everything that we wanted to try today. Not only on my car, but the other two as well.

"All things considered, where we are starting Day 1, speed-wise and race setup-wise, we are in a decent place."

Rookie Colton Herta topped the Honda contingent, fifth overall at 228.284 mph in the No. 88 GESS Capstone entry for Harding Steinbrenner Racing.

"I think today we were more towards trying to figure out the race car, and that's how I want to kind of go," said Herta, who became the youngest race winner in Indy car history in March at Circuit of The Americas. "I think we have a good qualifying car already; we were kind of fast on our own. I was really struggling in traffic, though, and that's when it's going to count, in the race."

Two midday hours were set aside for rookie orientation and non-regular veteran refreshers. Patricio O'Ward endured mechanical problems in the No. 31 Carlin Chevrolet and did not complete his rookie program, but will be permitted track time Wednesday morning to do so.

Practice continues Wednesday through Friday, from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. ET each day.

Day 1 Results

Rank by Non-Tow Speed