Daly Tops Fast Friday

Photo credit: John Cote/Indianapolis Motor Speedway

INDIANAPOLIS – Conor Daly, an Indianapolis 500-only participant, had the fastest lap during Fast Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 231.704 mph. The second-generation driver’s No. 25 U.S. Air Force Dallara/Honda benefited greatly from a tow from Andretti Autosport teammate Zach Veach on his lap, which came just before 6 p.m.

Daly’s hot lap nudged Marco Andretti off the top spot. The third-generation driver had a lap of 230.851 mph in his No. 98 U.S. Concrete/Curb Dallara/Honda, as 12 drivers cleared 230 mph.

As expected because of additional turbocharger “boost” allocated to the V6 Honda and Chevrolet engines ahead of qualifying, speeds Friday were the best of the week.

2017 Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato was third-fastest at 230.755 mph in the No. 30 Mi-Jack/Panasonic Dallara/Honda. Next up were Ed Carpenter Racing’s Spencer Pigot at 230.415 mph in the No. 21 machine and another Andretti Autosport driver, 2014 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay who worked up to 230.466 mph by day’s end.

The rest of the drivers with laps over 230 mph were:

·         Carpenter, 230.358 mph

·         Simon Pagenaud, Menard Team Penske Chevrolet, 230.326 mph

·         Charlie Kimball, Fiasp Carlin Chevrolet, 230.290 mph

·         Josef Newgarden, Shell Team Penske Chevrolet, 230.281 mph

·         Ed Jones, Ed Carpenter Racing Scuderia Corsa Chevrolet, 230.106 mph

·         Will Power, Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, 230.061 mph

·         Tony Kanaan, ABC Supply A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet, 230.011

Carpenter’s pole speed last year was 229.618 mph for the four-lap average. Jones had the fastest no-tow speed at 230.106 mph.

Two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso, unhurt in a damaging crash on Wednesday, returned to the 2 ½-mile oval and had a lap at 229.328 mph in the McLaren Racing Chevrolet.

Second-year driver Kyle Kaiser was not injured in the week’s fourth crash.

Qualifying begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, with spots 1-30 and the Fast Nine to be contested.

Sunday’s qualifying will see shootouts to determine the front and back of the field. In each shootout, each car will receive one attempt. Spots 10-30 will not requalify on Sunday.

One of the hotly debated topics this month has been the idea of guaranteed spots in the field for full-season teams. This idea, of course, flies in the face of the traditional 33 fastest starting the race. On the other hand, the new qualifying procedure could result in the fastest 33 NOT starting.

Team owner Roger Penske, winner of a record 17 Indianapolis 500s, is in favor of a guaranteed spot, something he could have used in 1995 when both Al Unser Jr. and Emerson Fittipaldi – the last two Indianapolis 500 winners – failed to qualify. He believes tradition shouldn’t trump what he believes are today’s business realities.

“Well, there’s a lot of traditions that change here, right?,” Penske said Friday. “They have a road race here, a Formula 1 race, a NASCAR race here. To me, it’s a sign of the times.”

Fellow owner Chip Ganassi, also a multi-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, prefers the fastest 33 start with no guarantees.

“My position is it should be the fastest 33,” he said Friday. “There is a scenario where it won’t be the fastest 33. I just thing that’s not right.”

Ganassi elaborated further.

“I think it’s one or the other. If you don’t have the fastest 33, then I think you should have guaranteed spots. If you do the fastest 33, you don’t need that.

“If it’s not the fastest 33, then the full-season participants should have some guarantee. If it’s the fastest 33, then I’m fine with that.”

Lightning in the area created a delay of 1 hour and 19 minutes during the afternoon.