Josef Newgarden is a name to watch heading into the upcoming Indy 500. The driver, who will start the race from 32nd position, clocked the fastest lap during Carb Day practice. Early in the two-hour session, the two-time Indy 500 winner set the benchmark time, finishing ahead of Takuma Sato and Scott Dixon.

Carb Day practice is the final opportunity each year for teams to test their cars before Sunday’s big race. Since Monday’s session, teams have completely rebuilt their cars, making it crucial to avoid any issues. The session also allows teams to scrub in tire sets by running a single lap on them.

However, technical issues were abundant. Just 20 minutes in, Graham Rahal came to a halt with a blown Honda engine. Trouble also struck the Chevrolet camp, where Ryan Hunter-Reay stopped on track with a smoking engine with 40 minutes left on the clock.

Takuma Sato appeared to be the last driver to suffer an engine issue, when his power unit suddenly shut off about 15 minutes before the end of the session. Ed Carpenter Racing also faced problems, with Alexander Rossi completing just five laps due to a broken water pump.

At the front, Scott Dixon was the first to post a truly fast lap around the 15-minute mark, but Josef Newgarden soon bettered his time. Later in the session, few lap times improved as teams focused on simulating race conditions on worn tires. Notably, the Penske cars looked particularly strong in traffic – something that will be essential for Newgarden and Will Power, who are starting from the 32nd and 33rd spots respectively.

Newgarden’s name ultimately remained at the top of the timing charts, while Sato – before his engine issue – slotted into second place between Newgarden and Dixon.

Full results of the warm-up session on Indianapolis