IndyCar: Newgarden’s 229mph lap tops in Day 2 of testing at IMS

In a 4-hour rain delayed test session at IMS Thursday, Josef Newgarden turned the fastest lap of 229.519 mph in his #2 Penske Chevy.

All the fast times were set with a tow, but Newgarden did it so effortlessly.  Newgarden’s best no-tow speed was 219.558 mph, 6th best.

Newgarden is seeking his first Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge victory and a record-extending 19th “500” win for Team Penske.

“I can’t deny things feel really good on the 2 car,” Newgarden said. “They’re just progressing. It’s not like two steps forward, two steps back, or vice versa. I feel like it’s going forward every single time, and we’re just getting better.

“We’ve been on a good trajectory at the moment. I don’t want to see it flatten too much; I want to see it go the other way. I feel confident with what we’ve got, feel good at showing up anywhere. Being at Team Penske makes that easier. I always feel confident in our group.”

Fastest no-tow speed was Rinus Veekay in the #21 ECR Chevy and 2nd quick was Scott McLaughlin in the #3 Penske Chevy ahead of Conor Daly in the #20 ECR Chevy.

In other words, Chevy brought the most powerful engine to the Speedway this year and will be hard to beat in the 500.

2nd fastest was Takuma Sato in the Dale Coyne Honda, with a tow.

Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon were 3rd and 4th with a tow in their Ganassi Hondas.

Scott McLaughlin rounded out the top-5 with a tow.

The start of the four-hour session was delayed by four hours and 30 minutes due to morning showers in the Indianapolis area. The day was incident-free after there were three spins by drivers either on or exiting the acceleration lane inside Turns 1 and 2 on Wednesday, but diligent asphalt work overnight and this morning by INDYCAR, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Firestone increased the grip levels of that area today.

Once the track dried, drivers wasted no time swirling around the 2.5-mile oval in large packs to simulate traffic while testing race setups. All the top speeds were produced with the aid of an aerodynamic tow from leading cars.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson continued a solid two days of preparation for his first start in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” by ending up eighth fastest at 227.900 in the No. 48 Carvana Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Johnson was the fastest of the seven Indy 500 rookies at the test.

Thirty-two drivers combined to turn 4,318 laps (10,795 miles) during the two-day test. Marcus Ericsson completed 148 laps – nearly three-quarters of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge distance of 200 laps – on Thursday in his No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, more than any other driver.

Thursday Test Speeds