Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden started where he left off at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the defending Indy 500 winner topped the two-hour opening session at the Indy Open Test.
Newgarden’s No. 2 Chevy was one of many cars to make use of an aerodynamic tow which shot his entry to a best lap of 228.811mph, and he was followed by Arrow McLaren-Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, who toured the 2.5-mile oval at 226.384s in the No. 17 Chevy.
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Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon was third in the No. 9 Honda (226.346mph) and teammate Alex Palou was close behind in fourth with the No. 10 Honda (226.201mph). Penske’s Scott McLaughlin was fifth in the No. 3 Chevy (225.379mph) and affiliate team A.J. Foyt Racing rounded out the top six with Santino Ferrucci in the No. 14 Chevy (223.369mph).
With the morning session reserved for veterans and full-time drivers before handing over to oval rookies and refreshers, 28 of the 34 drivers got out to turn laps. Although the test was scheduled for two days, teams awoke to the remnants of rain on the ground and the two-hour session ended a few minutes early due to moisture in the air.
Once the two-hour rookies and refreshers session is completed, all drivers will be allowed to run for the rest of the day, which is set to run into the early evening due to the expected loss of Thursday to rain.