Indy 500: Ericsson, Herta top 4-lap averages on Fast Friday
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson led the four-lap averages in qualifying simulations on Fast Friday at the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500, ahead of Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward.
Ericsson, who is in his third IndyCar season and his second with the legendary Ganassi team, clocked 231.950mph over the course of four laps of the iconic 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The BorgWarner turbos had been cranked up to 1.5-bar boost, 0.2 higher than raceday settings, adding approximately 90hp to the output of the 2.2-liter twin-turbo V6s.
That put him 0.223mph ahead of Colton Herta in the Andretti Autosport-Honda , and 0.42mph ahead of Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward in the best of the Chevrolet runners.
Herta’s Andretti teammates Alexander Rossi and Stefan Wilson clocked fourth and fifth fastest with defending Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato on 230.820mph with Rahal Letterman Lanigan.
The Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevys of three-time polesitter Carpenter and Rinus VeeKay were seventh and 10th separated from each other by RLL’s Santino Ferrucci and Ed Jones in the Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan-Honda.
Six-time champion Scott Dixon was 12th, frustrated with being unable to get a clear run as the track cooled toward the end of the six-hour session.
The four Team Penske-Chevrolets finished outside the Top 20.
The fastest no-tow laps were Rossi on 231.598mph, ahead of Sato on 231.379mph, Herta on 231.348mph, Dixon on 231.292, Ericsson 231.226mph, Palou 231.208 and with the top Chevrolet being O’Ward on 230.046.
Three of the top speeds through the Turn 3 trap went above 240mph, with Herta top on 240.359, with Dixon and Sato next up ahead of Rossi, Jones, Juan Pablo Montoya and Alex Palou.
Trap 1 speeds saw Dixon top on 237.705mph ahead of Josef Newgarden on 236.264, Rossi, Herta, Rinus VeeKay, Helio Castroneves of Meyer Shank Racing-Honda, and Wilson.
The draw for the order of first runs in qualifying tomorrow are held this evening. Qualifying runs will begin at 12 noon local (Eastern) time.
Best four-lap averages:
- Marcus Ericsson – 231.950 mph
- Colton Herta – 231.726 mph
- Pato O’Ward – 231.522 mph
- Alexander Rossi – 230.999 mph
- Stefan Wilson – 230.844 mph
- Takuma Sato – 230.819 mph
- Ed Carpenter – 230.423 mph
- Santino Ferrucci – 230.364 mph
- Ed Jones – 230.251 mph
- Rinus VeeKay – 230.234 mph
Best no-tow single-laps:
| RANK | CAR NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | ENGINE | FASTEST NO-TOW LAP (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 231.598 |
| 2 | 15 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda | 231.518 |
| 3 | 5 | Pato O’Ward | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevy | 231.510 |
| 4 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 231.502 |
| 5 | 30 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda | 231.379 |
| 6 | 26 | Colton Herta | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 231.348 |
| 7 | 8 | Marcus Ericsson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 231.226 |
| 8 | 10 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 231.208 |
| 9 | 45 | Santino Ferrucci | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda | 230.924 |
| 10 | 20 | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevy | 230.901 |
| 11 | 60 | Jack Harvey | Meyer Shank Racing | Honda | 230.772 |
| 12 | 48 | Tony Kanaan | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 230.762 |
| 13 | 51 | Pietro Fittipaldi | Dale Coyne Racing w/Rick Ware Racing | Honda | 230.666 |
| 14 | 21 | Rinus VeeKay | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevy | 230.647 |
| 15 | 25 | Stefan Wilson | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 230.514 |
| 16 | 6 | Helio Castroneves | Meyer Shank Racing | Honda | 230.512 |
| 17 | 2 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Chevy | 230.479 |
| 18 | 47 | Conor Daly | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevy | 230.386 |
| 19 | 4 | Dalton Kellett | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Chevy | 230.197 |
| 20 | 3 | Scott McLaughlin | Team Penske | Chevy | 230.037 |
| 21 | 86 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevy | 229.956 |
| 22 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 229.910 |
| 23 | 98 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Herta-Haupert w/Marco & Curb-Agajanian | Honda | 229.908 |
| 24 | 1 | JR Hildebrand | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Chevy | 229.812 |
| 25 | 18 | Ed Jones | Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan | Honda | 229.794 |
| 26 | 22 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Chevy | 229.792 |
| 27 | 7 | Felix Rosenqvist | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevy | 229.691 |
| 28 | 29 | James Hinchcliffe | Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport | Honda | 229.584 |
| 29 | 24 | Sage Karam | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Chevy | 229.536 |
| 30 | 16 | Simona De Silvestro | Paretta Autosport | Chevy | 229.477 |
| 31 | 14 | Sebastien Bourdais | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Chevy | 229.426 |
| 32 | 12 | Will Power | Team Penske | Chevy | 229.163 |
| 33 | 59 | Max Chilton | Carlin | Chevy | 229.086 |
| 34 | 11 | Charlie Kimball | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Chevy | 226.743 |
| 35 | 75 | RC Enerson | Top Gun Racing | Chevy | 226.055 |
Best single-lap speeds:
| P | No | Name | Team | Engine | FSpeed | FL | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 233.302 | 19 | 29 |
| 2 | 26 | Colton Herta | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 232.784 | 31 | 34 |
| 3 | 48 | Tony Kanaan | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 232.690 | 25 | 26 |
| 4 | 8 | Marcus Ericsson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 232.531 | 35 | 39 |
| 5 | 10 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 232.155 | 19 | 23 |
| 6 | 5 | Pato O’Ward | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevy | 232.034 | 26 | 30 |
| 7 | 27 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 231.863 | 28 | 40 |
| 8 | 30 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda | 231.598 | 23 | 28 |
| 9 | 18 | Ed Jones | Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan | Honda | 231.569 | 3 | 18 |
| 10 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 231.539 | 32 | 33 |
| 11 | 15 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda | 231.518 | 26 | 30 |
| 12 | 21 | Rinus VeeKay | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevy | 231.325 | 14 | 18 |
| 13 | 25 | Stefan Wilson | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 230.977 | 26 | 28 |
| 14 | 45 | Santino Ferrucci | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda | 230.924 | 17 | 21 |
| 15 | 20 | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevy | 230.901 | 22 | 29 |
| 16 | 60 | Jack Harvey | Meyer Shank Racing | Honda | 230.840 | 32 | 35 |
| 17 | 29 | James Hinchcliffe | Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport | Honda | 230.817 | 30 | 30 |
| 18 | 51 | Pietro Fittipaldi | Dale Coyne Racing w/Rick Ware Racing | Honda | 230.666 | 15 | 17 |
| 19 | 47 | Conor Daly | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevy | 230.627 | 19 | 36 |
| 20 | 7 | Felix Rosenqvist | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevy | 230.587 | 32 | 36 |
| 21 | 6 | Helio Castroneves | Meyer Shank Racing | Honda | 230.512 | 8 | 48 |
| 22 | 2 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Chevy | 230.479 | 38 | 48 |
| 23 | 59 | Max Chilton | Carlin | Chevy | 230.473 | 39 | 47 |
| 24 | 3 | Scott McLaughlin | Team Penske | Chevy | 230.415 | 26 | 30 |
| 25 | 86 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevy | 230.366 | 42 | 44 |
| 26 | 98 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Herta-Haupert w/Marco & Curb-Agajanian | Honda | 230.335 | 11 | 25 |
| 27 | 4 | Dalton Kellett | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Chevy | 230.197 | 17 | 20 |
| 28 | 1 | JR Hildebrand | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Chevy | 229.973 | 26 | 36 |
| 29 | 12 | Will Power | Team Penske | Chevy | 229.847 | 13 | 42 |
| 30 | 22 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Chevy | 229.792 | 30 | 41 |
| 31 | 24 | Sage Karam | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Chevy | 229.536 | 34 | 43 |
| 32 | 16 | Simona De Silvestro | Paretta Autosport | Chevy | 229.477 | 7 | 34 |
| 33 | 14 | Sebastien Bourdais | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Chevy | 229.426 | 21 | 23 |
| 34 | 11 | Charlie Kimball | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Chevy | 228.520 | 22 | 30 |
| 35 | 75 | RC Enerson | Top Gun Racing | Chevy | 226.055 | 21 | 33 |
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