Alex Palou Commands Day 2 of Indy 500 Practice

Alex Palou was the fastest driver on the second day of Indy 500 practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, setting an impressive pace even as rain once again disrupted the schedule. The weather created delays throughout Wednesday, with practice not beginning until after 1 p.m. Eastern.

Teams only managed just under three hours on track before a brief rain shower and lightning forced another stoppage. When practice resumed, activity picked up quickly, but more rain interrupted the action during the late afternoon period known as “happy hour.” Despite the interruptions, the session ended under green conditions.

Palou, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, topped the leaderboard with a speed of 227.546 mph, beating Will Power’s best from Day 1. Will Power from Team Penske, who led earlier in the week, was close behind in second at 225.584 mph.

Josef Newgarden, also from Team Penske, placed third with a best speed of 225.545 mph. Scott Dixon and Conor Daly completed the top five for the day, joining a group of experienced drivers showing strong early form.

The rest of the top ten included David Malukas, Marcus Armstrong, Helio Castroneves, Jack Harvey, and Christian Rasmussen, as teams gathered data for the big race.

Although conditions were tricky with the shifting weather, all 34 drivers avoided incidents. The only yellow flags during practice were for weather or track checks, helping teams maximize their limited time on the circuit.

One of the talking points came from Santino Ferrucci of A. J. Foyt Enterprises, who ended the session in 33rd and voiced frustration with his car’s handling. He decided to switch back to last year’s setup after struggling to balance the car in traffic.

Three-time polesitter Ed Carpenter rounded out the field in 34th, also working through early challenges in this year’s setup.

Kyle Kirkwood impressed again with the fastest no-tow lap of the day at 222.760 mph, a crucial metric for teams evaluating true single-car speed without the effect of drafting. Christian Rasmussen and Alexander Rossi followed with speeds of 222.116 mph and 221.277 mph, respectively.

These laps give teams a sense of their outright pace, separate from times boosted by running behind other cars.

Helio Castroneves led all drivers in total laps completed, finishing 114 laps despite the multiple interruptions. Three other drivers also banked more than half the length of the real Indy 500, building valuable experience in both clear and tricky conditions.

Tony Kanaan’s refresher test was postponed to Thursday due to the repeated rain delays.

Indy 500 practice continues this week with more track time scheduled, as all teams look to refine their setups and strategies ahead of qualifying. The weather may continue to cause challenges, but each session gives drivers and engineers a chance to make steady progress with the biggest race of the season now just weeks away.

Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.