Speedway, IN (93.7 The Fan) – The second day of practice for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 had a little bit of everything: high speeds and big crashes.
Team Penske led the speed chart for the second day in a row as Josef Newgarden turned a fast lap of 39.3260-seconds (228.856 mph) in the No. 2 Shell V-Power Chevrolet. Newgarden's speed was set with the help of an aerodynamic tow.
"We had a pretty good day," said Newgarden, the 2017 series champion. "I was relatively happy with the car being in the window. We just need to make sure it's as fast as it needs to be. It was a solid day. "
Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon was second fastest in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda. Dixon's fast lap of 39.3296-seconds (228.835) was also achieved with the help of a tow.
"We worked on race running pretty much all day in the PNC Bank car," said Dixon, the five-time and defending series champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner. "We had a baseline setup that I think was pretty strong. We ran a lot of laps and tried to go through a lot of mechanical things and then with the dampers. I think we made some gains and then we were just trying to pick the right times to run at the end and maximize what we could learn."
Andretti Autosports Alexander Rossi set the fastest "non-tow" lap on the day with a speed of 224.648-miles per hour.
"It was another good day running through the checklist of things we were trying to get done," said Rossi, the 2016 Indy 500 winner. "I think we accomplished most of it. It's really trying to stay up on top of the track conditions as the temperature changes as we get later in the week. I'm happy with where we are so far."
The first caution flag of the day came at 12:35 p.m. when McLaren Racing's Fernando Alonso crashed into the SAFER Barrier in Turn 3. Alonso's car lost front end grip, hit the outside wall, came across the track and made contact with the inside wall. Alonso was checked and released from the infield care center uninjured, but acknowledged he put his team in a tough spot.
"I was running a bit close to another car and suddenly, mid-corner, I lost completely the front grip," said Alonso, the two-time Formula One World Champion. "I'm disappointed and sad for the team and for the guys. We worked quite a lot on the car and definitely now it's quite damaged. We will learn from this and hopefully tomorrow we're back on track and back stronger."
Dixon's teammate Felix Rosenqvist hit the Turn 2 wall with just under an hour left in the session. Rosenqvist's No. 10 NTT Data Honda got loose in the corner, struck the outside wall, came across the track and struck the inside tire barrier heavily damaging the right side, front and rear of the car.
"I was behind Colton (Herta) and just trying to run the car in traffic, and I just felt a very sudden change of having a bit of push, and it went very loose very fast," said Rosenqvist, a rookie in the series. "I couldn't react to it. I'm not sure if I was down on the curb. I just have to really analyze what happened there. Luckily my team has built a really, really good car, a really safe car. I'm completely fine."
Practice resumes on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and can be seen on IndyCar Pass on NBC Sports Gold and on racecontrol.indycar.com.
Day Two Notebook:
Multiple Grammy Award-winning Superstar Kelly Clarkson will sing the National Anthem before the start of the 103rd Indianapolis 500.
Clarkson has sold 25-million albums and 36-million singles with 18-singles boasting multi-platinum, platinum and gold certifications around the world.
"It's a pleasure to welcome Kelly back to IMS on Race Day to sing the national anthem for hundreds of thousands of fans in the stands and millions of viewers around the world," said IMS President J. Douglas Boles. "She is a global icon and an incredible singer, and our fans have loved her performances of the anthem last year and in 2011. We look forward to her delivering another stirring, poignant rendition just before engines are fired for 'The Greatest Spectacle In Racing.'"
Clarkson is a coach on NBC's "The Voice" and the inaugural winner of "American Idol". This will be the second consecutive year for Clarkson to sign the Anthem and the third time overall.
___Follow 93.7 The Fan: Facebook | Twitter | InstagramListen to 93.7 The Fan on the Radio.com App - Download Now
