After the opening week of practice ahead of pole qualifying for the 100th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, ‘sandbagging’ was the key word.
Considering that Honda cars dominated the opening week, there was plenty of speculation that the Chevrolet brigade, whose cars have claimed all five pole positions and all five victories thus far in the 2016 IndyCar Series (including three straight for Team Penske’s fast Frenchman Simon Pagenaud) were well down the speed charts for the majority of the week.
It was – and is – logical to assume that the Chevrolet teams are saving a little something for the business end of this week, being, of course, the time trials to determine the starting grid of thirty-three cars for the 100th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.
Honda runners are quietly confident about their speed, and Chevrolet drivers will tell any microphone that cares to record them how good it is that they have some competition this May. Don’t believe that for a second! The last thing the Chevrolet teams want is speed from those Hondas!
Andretti Autosport’s fleet of Honda-powered cars dominated the week, and we even saw minnows Dale Coyne Racing place three of their cars in the top ten on Thursday which, while pleasing for the long-time and perennially-underfunded operation, seemed to lend credence to the theory that the Chevrolet-powered teams were playing their cards close to their chest.
Fast Friday, as the last day of practice before qualifications is known, raises the stakes, with teams running the extra qualifying boost ahead of the weekend’s time trials. That adds an extra 40-50 horsepower, giving teams a chance to run their qualifying setups, and, we all hoped, would solve a few of the lingering questions from the first week.
In some ways, things are a little clearer – but only a little, mind you. Australia’s Will Power, the 2014 IndyCar Series champion and runner-up at the 2015 Indianapolis 500, set the fastest lap of the week at 232.672mph (nearly 375kmh), earning Team Penske $10,000, giving Chevrolet it’s first P1 of the week, and giving the rest of the field a benchmark to set and likely surpass over the coming two days of qualifying. It’s important to note that Power had a big tow for that lap, and admitted as much afterward.
Following Power in second was American Josef Newgarden, driving for Ed Carpenter Racing, whose owner/driver, and Indianapolis local, is no stranger to going fast around Indianapolis, having won back-to-back pole positions in 2013 and 2014. Newgarden ran a 232.344mph lap, and James Hinchliffe, in a Honda for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports was third turning a 231.972mph lap. In terms of time elapsed, we’re talking about the top eight drivers on the charts lapping the 2.5-mile speedway in less than 38 seconds.
In terms of manufacturer placing in the top ten, there was some nice parity, with five Honda runners and five Chevrolet teams. Despite that even match, there are definite signs that the Bowtie Brigade is coming to life, and we’re likely to see further proof of that through Saturday and Sunday at the Speedway.
For those charting the progress of Indianapolis 500 debutant Matt Brabham, the grandson of Sir Jack ran fifty eight laps during Friday’s session and landed twenty-fourth on the timing sheet, with a best lap speed of 229.253mph. Not bad for a guy who’s had less than seven days’ experience at one of the most difficult tracks in the world. In fact, it’s a very respectable effort.
The real test of pre-qualifying speed around Indianapolis can be found on what’s called the no-tow list, for laps turned by cars without the aid of others. In that department, somewhat surprisingly, Honda prevailed narrowly.
Andretti Autosport driver Townsend Bell, a sports-car driver and IndyCar analyst for NBC who has been a one-off entrant at Indianapolis for years, posted the fastest no-tow time of the month 231.342 mph.
Bell’s lap was only narrowly better than Power’s 231.339 mph. Bell has been one of the surprise packets early this Month of May, and no one in the paddock would begrudge the popular Californian a good run in the race.
Hinchcliffe, meanwhile, showed the marked difference between a fast lap with the tow and actual non-tow speed. His best unassisted lap was only good for 17th on that list.
So, what can we expect from qualifying this weekend?
For a start, plenty of speed, and I have a feeling that drivers who have lurked midway down the practice session timing charts so far this week – the likes of Ganassi’s Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan, Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya and the always-fast-at-Indy Ed Carpenter – will make their presence known.
Charting the process of Honda’s most consistent runner this season, Graham Rahal, will be interesting, too. The son of 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner, Bobby, has put in some impressive drives this season, including a last-to-fifth run in last weekend’s Grand Prix of Indianapolis, and would be downright lethal if he was in a Chevrolet – or, at least, a Honda engine with more power.
There’s a good chance, given his Friday pace, that we may see Will Power figure prominently in the race for Indianapolis 500 pole. After last year’s heartbreakingly narrow second-place finish behind Penske teammate Montoya, Power will be on a mission this month – and that really excites me. Imagine, for a moment, if an Aussie was the one hundredth Indianapolis 500 mile winner? Wow. That would be a sporting achievement right up there with our country’s greatest accolades.
Saturday qualifying will determine the Fast Nine group, who will then battle for pole on Sunday afternoon, Indianapolis time. By early Monday morning in Australia, we’ll have the field of thirty-three cars set for the 100th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, and, at that time, the race itself will be less than seven days away!
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