Andretti Leads Honda Redemption on Second Day of Indy 500 Practice
Andretti, Dixon, Sato, and Wickens surpassed the 226 miles-per-hour mark on Wednesday.
The second day of Indy 500 practice wrapped up with one of racing's most famous last names at the top of the charts, as Marco Andretti drove his Honda-powered IndyCar across the yard of bricks at 227.053 miles per hour on Wednesday.
The third-generation racer was joined by fellow Honda drivers Scott Dixon, Takuma Sato, and Robert Wickens at the front of the field in the second-, third-, and fourth-fastest positions of the day. The quartet, which includes two Indy 500 winners and one rookie, were the only drivers who broke into the 226-miles-per-hour mark, with the fifth-fastest driver Charlie Kimball being the fastest Chevy with an average speed of 225.887 miles per hour.
Wednesday's practice was the polar opposite of Tuesday's session, where Chevy ruled the very oval that one of its founders, Gaston Chevrolet, commandeered to a win at the 1920 Indy 500. Other Chevy-powered drivers in the top ten included Tony Kanaan, Gabby Chaves, Ed Carpenter, and Sage Karam.
"It was a pretty productive day," Andretti said. "We got the car to 'almost there' in traffic. We're not there yet, but I'm sure everybody's dealing with a similar thing. But we think we have a direction, which is positive."
This year's new aero kit seems to be taking a toll on the drivers and engineers, as despite topping the timesheets they aren't quite happy with the way the cars are running—including 2008 Indy 500 winner and four-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon.
"I think the car was decent," Dixon said. "The conditions were probably more favorable around lunchtime. (In) the heat of the day, we went through some struggles, went through some pretty big changes. We just ran full downforce all day and tried to work with the car and find better combinations just for being comfortable in traffic and trying to get the car a little more grip."
The on-track action resumes on Thursday, when drivers will enjoy the first of the remaining two full days of practice before the qualifications arrive on Saturday.
Stay tuned for more boots-on-the-ground coverage from The Drive from now until the 102nd running of the Indy 500 on Memorial Day Weekend.
