Conor Daly has started his season spectacularly, leading the first day of open testing for the 110th editions of the Indianapolis 500. The Dreyer & Reinbold Racing driver achieved a fast lap of 225.394 mph, taking advantage of a good slipstream in the last ten minutes of the session.
During the day, Daly, who is from Nobleville, Indiana, surpassed Helio Castroneves, who had started with a speed of 225.200 mph. Takuma Sato, a two-time Indy 500 winner, ended the day with the third-best record at 224.800 mph, driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Other notable drivers include Scott Dixon from Chip Ganassi Racing, who placed fourth with 224.564 mph, and Alexander Rossi, the 2016 winner, who closed out the top 5 at 224.367 mph with his Chevrolet from Ed Carpenter Racing.
In an intense day, driver Romain Grosjean recorded 76 laps, most of them during the afternoon session, achieving a best time of 224.307 mph after having a morning incident with a bird. In the no-slipstream speed chapter, Jack Harvey and Kyle Kirkwood stood out on the list with 220.318 mph and 220.273 mph respectively.
The end of the day was briefly interrupted by an incident with Christian Rasmussen, who stopped his vehicle due to a mechanical issue. Despite this, Dennis Hauger from Dale Coyne Racing successfully completed his rookie orientation.
The day also had an intense morning, where Josef Newgarden led the practice with a lap of 223.415 mph. Sato was second with 222.850 mph, followed by Pato O’Ward with 221.842 mph. A promising day that anticipates fierce competition in the prestigious event.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
