Palou 2 mph Clear of Competition in Second Indy 500 Practice

Alex Palou made it clear during the second day of practice for the Indy 500 that he should once again be considered one of the top contenders for the race. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver set a lap with an average speed that was a full 2 mph faster than the rest of the field. Team Penske’s Will Power and Josef Newgarden ended the day in second and third place, respectively.

Overnight and morning rain showers soaked the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ahead of the second practice day. As a result, Tony Kanaan’s refresher test was canceled for the second day in a row. It is now scheduled for Thursday at 10:00 a.m. local time.

The main practice session got underway after a one-hour delay. Scott Dixon was quick to put his name at the top of the leaderboard with a lap averaging 224.742 mph. About an hour later, Will Power went significantly faster in his 14th lap, posting a speed of 225.584 mph.

With two hours remaining, the session was halted for about an hour due to light rain over the track. Once the track reopened with an hour to go, Alex Palou wasted no time and delivered a blazing lap at 227.546 mph — nearly 2 mph quicker than anyone else.

Just twenty minutes later, the yellow flag waved again due to another rain shower. This time, the delay was brief — ten minutes later, the track was back to green, setting the stage for a busy and intense final half hour.

Even though more than two-thirds of the field still had track time remaining, and with cooler (and typically faster) conditions, lap times saw little improvement. As a result, Palou held on to the top spot.

While the day was mostly focused on race simulations, it’s still worth noting who showed pace without the benefit of a tow. Interestingly, that honor went to Kyle Kirkwood, who clocked a no-tow lap at 220.760 mph. In this ranking, Ed Carpenter Racing teammates Christian Rasmussen and Alexander Rossi — both running qualifying simulations — finished second and third.

Full results of the 2nd free practice session on Indianapolis