Carpenter Cracks 230 mph in Practice

INDIANAPOLIS – Fast Friday indeed. Both in terms of speed and track time.

Persistent rains limited practice to about 20 minutes on so-called Fast Friday, the final practice day before two days of qualifying for the 98^th Indianapolis 500.

Under watery skies just after 3 p.m. EDT, Ed Carpenter, last year’s pole-sitter, stamped himself as the favorite to do it again by becoming the first driver this week to crack the 230 mph barrier. The 10-year veteran ran a lap at 230.522 mph in his Fuzzy’s Vodka Dallara/Chevrolet.

“When it comes to trying to predict to what the pole is going to be, I think a lot of it is going to come down to what the weather is,” said Carpenter, who admitted to getting a tow from Sebastien Bourdais on his fast lap. “If it warms up and the air gets thinner, I think 230s are realistic, and maybe up to 232 or 233 if the weather is right.”

Turbocharger boost was increased for Friday’s session, which translates to more horsepower and therefore more speed.

Six other drivers were over 229 mph, led by four-time pole winner Helio Castroneves (229.843 mph).

Also above 229 were Marco Andretti (229.419 mph), who started on the outside of the first row last year; J.R. Hildebrand, Carpenter’s teammate (229.384 mph); Josef Newgarden (229.276 mph), driving for Sarah Fisher; Juan Pablo Montoya (229.205 mph), back at Indy for the first time since 2000; and Scott Dixon (229.062 mph), 2008 pole winner.

“The car seems to be great,” Castroneves said. “We’ve been able to work well trying to develop not only a good car for racing, but also for qualifying.”

The lack of track time Friday has Andretti flummoxed regarding his possibilities for Saturday.

“Normally you have a good feeling whether you’re in trouble or you’re going to have a shot,” Andretti said.  “I have no idea if I’m going to be on pole or 15^th tomorrow.”

The qualifying format has been revised for this year’s race in an effort to drive more interest. Saturday’s opening day of qualifying creates a provisional grid, with the top nine qualifiers participating in the Fast Nine Shootout to determine the pole and the first three rows. The remaining order of the 33-car grid will be determined Sunday as well.

An explainer infographic can be found here.

Rick Mears, the record-holder for most Indianapolis 500 poles with six, thinks the new format should be given a chance.

“As far as changing the thing, this sport is really about change,” he said. “In a race car, you’re changing every lap, every corner. It’s about adapting.”

Practice resumes at 8 a.m. EDT on Saturday, with qualifying scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. EDT.

Photo credit: Jim Haines/Indianapolis Motor Speedway