Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing dominated the opening day of practice for the 109th Indianapolis 500 yesterday. The 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power led a Team Penske 1-2 on the speed charts in a weather-shortened session at 227.026 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. The hot lap occurred in the last 30 minutes of practice. Two-time defending “500” winner Josef Newgarden was second at 226.971 mph in the No. 2 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden is trying to become the first driver to win the 500 for three consecutive years. (read AutoInformed.com on: Indianapolis 500 Practice Starts Today!) Practice started two hours, 32 minutes late due to intermittent rain and damp track conditions, and the session ended 32 minutes early due to lightning strikes within the vicinity of the 2.5-mile oval.

“I think we’ve got a pretty good baseline,” Power said. “My teammates are pretty good. I learned a thing or two off them. It’s (Indianapolis 500) almost its own championship in itself. You’ve got to look for your weaknesses and improve.”

• Dominant NTT IndyCar Series points leader Alex Palou was the fastest of the Ganassi team, third at 226.673 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Three-time series champion Palou has won four of the first five races this season, including the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday on the IMS road course, as he aims to earn his first Indianapolis 500 victory and his third consecutive season title.
• Six-time series champion and 2008 500 winner Scott Dixon was fourth at 225.059 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. The 2024 “500” pole winner Scott McLaughlin was the third Team Penske driver in the top five with his best lap of 225.005 mph in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet.
• Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves was fastest among drivers from other teams, sixth at 224.523 in the No. 06 Cliffs Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian.

All 34 drivers attempting to earn one of the 33 spots in the starting field turned a total of 1,549 laps (3,872.5 miles) in the shortened session.

The track will be open today for practice for all cars from noon-6 p.m. (noon-4 pm., FS2; 4-6 pm., FS1; FOX Sports app, IndyCar Radio Network).