Conor Daly leads Indy 500 practice

Conor Daly set the fastest lap of Indianapolis 500 practice on Wednesday, May 13, as speeds rose sharply on the second day of running at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Daly’s best lap was 228.080 mph in the No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet, according to IndyCar. (indycar.com) Alex Palou was second at 228.026 mph, and David Malukas was third at 227.139 mph. Cool temperatures and partly cloudy skies helped produce the quickest laps of the week so far. All 33 entered cars turned laps during the six-hour session, and the field combined for 2,542 incident-free laps, up from 1,996 on Opening Day, IndyCar said. (indycar.com) The session offered one of the clearest early looks at both pack running and single-car pace as teams continued preparations for the 110th Indianapolis 500 on May 24. ### How fast was Daly, and where did that lap come from? Conor Daly’s 228.080 mph lap came in traffic, with an aerodynamic tow, a little more than an hour into the session, IndyCar said. The Indianapolis-area driver had already shown speed on Tuesday, when he ranked third at 225.838 mph. (indycar.com) Daly said the car still had more in it. “Feeling great, but we weren’t even flat on that lap,” he said, according to IndyCar. He added that the session featured more side-by-side running than he had seen in practice for some time. ### Who was closest to him on the speed chart? (indycar.com) Alex Palou finished second at 228.026 mph in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, making him the only other driver above 228 mph on Wednesday. David Malukas followed at 227.139 mph for Team Penske, while Graham Rahal was fourth at 226.835 mph and Romain Grosjean fifth at 226.591 mph, IndyCar said. (indycar.com) The Associated Press reported that Palou also posted the fastest trap speed of the day at 237.220 mph. Jack Harvey, Daly’s teammate at Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, said the team believed it had found speed “in other areas,” according to the AP report. (indycar.com) ### What did the no-tow numbers show? Pato O’Ward was the fastest driver without a tow at 221.409 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, IndyCar said. Alexander Rossi ranked second on the no-tow list at 221.392 mph in the No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet. (indycar.com) Tuesday’s best no-tow lap remained quicker than Wednesday’s top solo efforts. IndyCar said Kyle Kirkwood had led that category on Opening Day at 222.062 mph, a reminder that the headline speeds on Wednesday were helped by traffic and drafting. ### How busy was the session beyond the headline laps? (wtop.com) Alex Palou completed 118 laps, the most of any driver, after running only 28 laps on Tuesday, IndyCar said. The heavier workload suggested teams were moving deeper into race-week programs as conditions stabilized and the field spent longer stretches running in groups. That reading is based on the increase in total laps and Palou’s jump in track time. (indycar.com) The AP reported that crews also worked through issues for several former winners late in the day. Ryan Hunter-Reay had a radio problem, Helio Castroneves dealt with a balance issue, and Alexander Rossi’s Ed Carpenter Racing crew worked on an engine issue, according to the AP account. (indycar.com) ### What comes next before the race? Thursday, May 14, brings another Indianapolis 500 practice session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Friday, May 15, is Fast Friday, when teams receive additional turbocharger boost before qualifying weekend, and PPG Armed Forces Qualifying is scheduled for May 16 and May 17, according to the speedway schedule. (indycar.com) The 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 24. IndyCar said Thursday practice runs from noon to 6 p.m. ET, with television coverage split between FS2 and FS1. (indycar.com) (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) (wtop.com)