Scott McLaughlin can be considered one of the main contenders for pole position after the Team Penske driver recorded the fastest no-tow lap during Fast Friday practice for the Indy 500. Alex Palou posted the second-fastest no-tow speed, ahead of Rinus VeeKay. Felix Rosenqvist set the fastest overall speed of the day, though he was aided by a tow.

The start of Fast Friday practice was ultimately delayed by two hours after heavy rain hit Indianapolis in the morning. The rain stopped around 12:00 p.m. local time — the originally scheduled start time for the session — after which it took another two hours for the track to dry. As a result of the delayed start, IndyCar decided to extend the session until 7:00 p.m. local time, one hour later than originally planned.

For the drivers, Fast Friday practice was the key opportunity to fine-tune their cars for qualifying, as it was the only practice session in which teams were allowed to run the higher boost levels that will also be used during qualifying weekend.

Felix Rosenqvist uses tow to top speed charts

After the green flag waved, Pato O’Ward was the first driver to venture onto the track, although he only completed a few installation laps. Jack Harvey then became the first driver to complete an actual qualifying simulation.

Alexander Rossi held the top spot early in the session, while David Malukas led the no-tow standings. After two hours of running, Scott McLaughlin posted the fastest speed of the day up to that point — and did so without the help of a tow.

With one hour and ten minutes remaining in the session, Felix Rosenqvist went even faster, although he benefited from a tow provided by Josef Newgarden. Rossi later returned to the top of the charts with the second-fastest overall speed, though the American driver also benefited from a tow.

Another practice day without major incidents

The fourth day of practice also passed without any major incidents, although several drivers experienced a few tense moments. The biggest issue on track came from traffic disrupting qualifying simulations.

Jacob Abel also experienced a notable moment midway through the session when he came to a stop during a run. The American was still able to return to the pits, where it was determined that the No. 51 car had run out of fuel. Despite the issue being relatively minor, Abel did not return to the track afterward.

After the numerous Chevrolet engine issues during the previous practice days, Fast Friday produced another victim. With one hour remaining in the session, Santino Ferrucci was forced to abort a run due to an engine problem. According to Chevrolet, the earlier failures all had different causes, though it remains notable how many Chevrolet engines have encountered problems so far.

Andretti Global particularly struggled for speed throughout the session. Kyle Kirkwood, Marcus Ericsson, and Will Power all struggled with the balance of their cars and were well outside the top 20 in the no-tow standings.

Full results of the 4th free practice session on Indianapolis