Chip Ganassi Racing’s ownership of the speed charts continued on Monday during the two-hour practice session held in cool, windy, and overcast conditions. Second-place Indy 500 starter Alex Palou led the day at a peak speed of 229.441mph in the No. 10 CGR Honda ahead of teammate and Sunday’s polesitter Scott Dixon, who managed a 229.000 in the No. 9 Honda. Late in the session, CGR’s Jimmie Johnson shot to third to give Ganassi a 1-2-3 with the No. 48 Honda at 228.467mph.
“We were just getting everything ready for race trim,” Palou said. “The car is even stronger than qualifying. We had a really good day as well.”
Hondas were also found in fourth with Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing’s Takuma Sato in the No. 51 entry at 228.381mph and CGR’s Marcus Ericsson in fifth with the No. 8 car at 228.017mph.
First among the Chevys was Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden in sixth with a 226.962mph in the No. 2 Bowtie. Third-place qualifier Rinus VeeKay was 25th on the day and first on the no-tow report, which could be important if he’s able to spend a lot of time in clean air during the race.
Elsewhere, the Cusick Motorsports/DragonSpeed entry driven by Stefan Wilson turned its first laps since Saturday morning. The No. 25 Chevy, which starts 33rd and last due to its lack of a qualifying run, posted the 28th-fastest lap at 224.304, directly behind JR Hildebrand, the fastest of the A.J. Foyt Racing team which leased the car to Cusick/DragonSpeed.
The first and only crash so far this month came courtesy of Foyt’s Dalton Kellett, who was uninjured in the impact suffered by his No. 4 Chevy.
UP NEXT: Friday, Carb Day, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET.
