P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Newgarden fastest in rain-shortened first day of Indy 500 Open Test
The defending Indianapolis 500 winner set an impressive lap record of 228.811 mph early in the day at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Kyle Larson followed closely behind, securing the second spot with a speed of 226.384 mph. Larson is gearing up for his debut IndyCar race as part of the ‘Memorial Day Double’ event on 26 May, where he will also compete in NASCAR’s 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Scott Dixon claimed the third position at 226.346 mph, leading the Chip Ganassi Racing Honda team. Reigning series champion Alex Palou finished fourth with a speed of 226.201 mph. Colton Herta of Andretti Global impressed with a lap of 225.907 mph, securing the fifth spot at the end of the day.
The track saw light running in the afternoon before rain interrupted the sessions. However, all planned activities for the day were completed smoothly, with no major incidents reported. Rookie drivers successfully went through their orientation program, with Marco Andretti topping the group with a strong performance.
Katherine Legge, one day after joining Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Honda, performed well in the Rookie Orientation Programme, finishing second among the newcomers. Pietro Fittipaldi and Christian Rasmussen followed closely behind in the group rankings. By the end of the day, Rasmussen and Kyffin Simpson had surpassed all others in terms of laps completed.
