Indy 500 Update: Practice Day 3 & Fast Friday
Day 3
Juncos Hollinger Racing and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES continued to prepare for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing this week, moving from tool validations and balance checks, to pack running and qualifying simulations. Having had the chance to validate the team’s package as a whole during the week’s earlier practice sessions, JHR moved deeper into fine tuning two distinct car setups: qualifying trim, and race trim.
Facing cooler, windier conditions compared with Day 2, Rinus VeeKay and the No. 76 JHR-DRR-Wedbush Chevrolet recorded 52 laps around the IMS oval, while teammate Sting Ray Robb and the No. 77 JHR-Goodheart Chevrolet logged 42 laps on the day. After running in heavy traffic during the early stages, the pair focused on their qualifying simulations later in the afternoon Sting Ray ended Day 3 in P6, recording a Best Speed of 225.972 MPH. Rinus was P11 with a 224.994, narrowly missing the top 10 by 0.067 MPH.
Fast Friday
Fast Friday introduces an additional variable: increased boost. While the opening practice sessions are run at race-level boost settings, qualifying utilizesa higher level of boost. To prepare for the higher speeds generated by the increased boost, teams use the final practice session before qualifying to complete “quali sims,” at qualifying power levels. However, before practice began, showers rolled through the Indianapolis area, delaying the start of on-track action by two hours.
With the track jet-dried, the field of 33 began acclimating to qualifying speeds. To achieve this, drivers took to the track individually, completing four-laps runs that mirrored qualifying conditions. The No. 76 finished the day in P9 at 232.417 mph. The No. 77 ended the high-boost session in P27, recording a 231.621 mph.
Driver Perspectives
Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 JHR-DRR-Wedbush Chevrolet:
“Really good couple of days overall with Practice and then Fast Friday. The first run was more of a balance check with high downforce, and I felt good in the car.
“I think our second run was very strong. Unfortunately, we caught some traffic on lap one, which didn’t help our four-lap average on the charts. On the final run, I think we went a little too far on the trim.
“Still, it was a really positive day. Again, we showed we have speed, even in high-boost we’re looking strong. Our goal in qualifying is to make the Fast 9, and I think the Fast 12 is a realistic goal. From there, we’ll enjoy the moment and see what we can do.”
Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 JHR-Goodheart Chevrolet:
“A productive Fast Friday overall. We learned a lot with the boost increase and worked through some trim changes, which all valuable. We’re still not quite where we want to be in terms of outright pace, but honestly I feel like there’s more in the car.
“We were pretty conservative with a few things while making sure we’re heading in the right direction for qualifying, because that’s the one that counts. I think the balance is getting closer, and we’ve shown flashes of speed throughout the day.
“We’ll go back through the data, work on the trim levels again, and hopefully come back with a strong car for qualifying.”
Up Next:
Qualifying action is set to begin today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with the fight for a spot in the Indianapolis 500 field continuing through Sunday.