Indianapolis, May 13, 2025 — Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing made their authority felt on a rain-plagued first day of practice for the 109th Indianapolis 500, with Will Power leading the charts in a severely curtailed session at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The 2018 Indy 500 winner made a late bid at 227.026mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, beating his teammate Josef Newgarden by a fraction of 0.055mph. The two Penske drivers made it a 1-2 at the top of the speed charts before lightning strikes forced an end to the session.
“We’ve got a solid foundation,” Power said after practice. “My teammates are good. I picked up a thing or two from them. It’s sort of its own championship in itself. You have to find your weaknesses and work on them.”
Rain and Lightning Take Their Toll
Newgarden, the reigning double Indy 500 champion, is looking for a record third in a row at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” — something not yet achieved in the new era. His drive in the No. 2 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Chevrolet emphasises Penske’s solid start prior to qualifying.
The session itself was severely disrupted by inclement weather. Rain fell in scattered intervals, delaying the plan by more than two and a half hours, and as running did eventually begin to get underway, lightning close at hand stopped play prematurely — shortening proceedings by a further 32 minutes.
Ganassi Close Behind
Chip Ganassi Racing also demonstrated strong speed despite interruptions. Top championship contender Alex Palou, who took his fourth victory in five starts this season last weekend, was third quickest at 226.673mph in the No. 10 DHL Honda. Palou is pursuing his first Indy 500 victory as he seeks a third consecutive INDYCAR championship.
Six-time Indy 500 series champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon, a Ganassi veteran driver, posted the fourth-quickest time at 225.059mph, and Penske’s Scott McLaughlin, last year’s polesitter, finished in the top five in the No. 3 Pennzoil Chevrolet.
Castroneves Leads the Rest
Outside of the Penske-Ganassi bubble, Helio Castroneves paced the rest of the field. The four-time Indy 500 winner placed sixth at 224.523mph in Meyer Shank Racing’s No. 06 Cliffs Honda. Together, all 34 starters in the event this year completed a lap or more, accumulating a total of 1,549 laps during the truncated session — equal to 3,872.5 miles of racing.
Practice activity continues today with a tune-up test for 2013 Indy 500 winner and Arrow McLaren team owner Tony Kanaan. The Brazilian is on standby to replace NASCAR phenom Kyle Larson on race day in the event that weather delays affect Larson’s aggressive double-duty attempt, driving the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte on the same day.
The Gainbridge-sponsored 109th Indianapolis 500 occurs on Sunday, 25 May, with live coverage beginning at 10 a.m. ET.