Josef Newgarden led the last practice before Top 12 Qualifying and Last Chance Qualifying for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but a Team Penske lockout of the front row may not be as probable as it appeared Saturday.
Newgarden’s top four-lap qualifying simulation in the session – split into one hour for Top 12 competitors and one hour for Last Chance Qualifying drivers – had an average speed of 233.707 mph in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet.
SEE: Practice Results | Qualifying Procedure
Penske teammates Will Power, Scott McLaughlin and Newgarden took the top three spots during the first day of PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on Saturday, looking to sweep the front row during Firestone Fast Six qualifying today for just the second time in “500” history. Rick Mears, Danny Sullivan and Al Unser monopolized the front row for Team Penske in 1988.
But Felix Rosenqvist was the second quickest among the Top 12 drivers in qualifying sims under sunny skies Sunday, 232.848 in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing. McLaughlin was third at 232.655 in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet.
Power, who was fastest Saturday at 233.758, ended up eighth in his qualifying sim at 231.688 in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet. Power said he slowed on his practice run due to a plenum event in his engine that also plagued numerous other Chevrolet drivers during the first day of qualifying Saturday.
“We’ll look into it,” Power said. “It will be tough to make the top six as we sit.”
Katherine Legge was the quickest of the four drivers who will compete for the last three spots in the 33-car starting field later today with an average speed of 231.011 in her best four-lap qualifying sim in the No. 51 e.l.f. Cosmetics Honda of Dale Coyne Racing.
Graham Rahal struggled to find speed in his No. 15 United Rentals Honda during the one-hour session, second-slowest among Last Chance Qualifying participants at 229.073 in his qualifying sim. But Rahal was confident to have speed when it counts later today, as he noticed a problem with the right-rear wheel area on his run that the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team will fix.
“I’m not going to throw anybody under the bus,” Rahal said. “We just made a mistake, and we’re very lucky that I caught it because had I continued to push, we probably wouldn’t have a race car right now. We’ll make sure we’re good, in that regard.”
Rookie Nolan Siegel was slowest of the Last Chance qualifiers, with a simulated run of 228.955 in the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda.
Top 12 Qualifying from 3:05-4:05 p.m. ET will whittle the field to the Firestone Fast Six that will compete for the NTT P1 Award from 5:25-5:55 p.m. In between those sessions, 2022 “500” winner Marcus Ericsson of Andretti Global, Rahal, Legge and Siegel will compete in Last Chance Qualifying from 4:15-5:15 p.m. NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network will provide live coverage from 3-6 p.m.