Yesterday, the Month of May kicked off with the Indianapolis 500 Open Test. The Dreyer and Reinbold Racing duo of Conor Daly and Jack Harvey topped both leaderboards, fastest with and without a tow. However, whilst yesterday was clear skies, day two started with a delay. Rain fell again overnight, but this time the track wasn’t dry in time. Consequently, the day started with after a one hour and 15 minute delay.
The second day of testing consisted of two full-field sessions. After Katherine Legge was unable to complete her refresher programme yesterday, she could use the hour between sessions to complete it.
Collet On Top In The Morning
After a lengthy delay to dry the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the green flag finally fell and cars were quick to head on track. Following on from his performance yesterday, Daly was soon at the top of the leaderboard with an average speed of 222.239mph. However, he didn’t stay there for long. As they tested running in groups, Josef Newgarden bested the time with a 224.302mph. With an average speed of 226.381mph, the fastest so far, rookie Caio Collet soon held P1.
Early in the session came a planned yellow flag, allowing marshals to inspect the track after the delay in running. Despite Christian Rasmussen picking up a puncture ahead of the caution, no issues were found. Minor water was seen at Turn 4, and this was quickly dried before cars headed back on track.
Throughout the rest of the morning drivers tested a range of details. From set-up testing to trying out different types of running, the track action varied. Whilst 32 drivers were eligible for this session, only 30 ran on track. Aside from Legge, Nolan Siegel and Louis Foster were missing. Collet held the fastest average speed as the chequered flag fell. However, Harvey once again took the fastest no-tow speed. He went faster than yesterday, setting a speed of 221.112mph.
Following the morning session, Katherine Legge had the track to herself to complete at least the second phase. Another track inspection caused a brief yellow flag during the hour. After doing the required 15 laps between 210-215mph, she was able to join the afternoon session.
Newgarden Leads The Afternoon Session
As the afternoon session began, Siegel and Foster were first on track trying to gain back some runnings they lost earlier in the day. Early running was slow, and as the session reached two hours to go, another yellow flag was waved. This time, it was due to a fox on the track. Fortunately, the rogue fox was unharmed. When the track went green, Legge came out to start phase three of her refresher programme. She was joined by nine other cars, led by Santino Ferrucci.
The group running continued, with drivers testing how well their cars performed in dirty air. Overtaking was also practiced, with drivers taking their turn to lead the pack. With the tow in full effect, the speeds began to increase. Alexander Rossi briefly went to the top, before being replaced by his teammate and boss, Ed Carpenter. But Team Penske’s David Malukas went even quicker, setting a time of 223.285mph. However, his teammate Newgarden went even faster.
Harvey was the cause of the next yellow flag, with the first significant issue over the testing days. An engine issue saw smoke start to billow out the rear of his car. He was able to make it back to pit lane, and the small flames were quickly put out.
Happy Hour To End The Test
Just ahead of happy hour, the final hour on test, a planned yellow was brought out. Once again, marshals took this caution time to inspect the track. Alongside this, teams were allowed to use this time to plan for the cars being able to pit off of Turn 4 for the final hour.
Álex Palou only joined the track in this final hour, but in his second lap he set the second best speed of the session—225.272mph. For the first time in the test, all 33 cars spent time on the track, with many setting personal best speeds. With five minutes remaining, Mick Schumacher shot up the leaderboard to P12, with his best speed so far of 222.802mph. He was narrowly ahead of Dennis Hauger, who had a best speed of 222.626mph.
Combined Top Ten of Day Two
As day two finished Collet retained the fastest speed, set during the morning session. Although Hélio Castroneves set the fastest no-tow speed in the afternoon, he still couldn’t beat Harvey’s speed from the earlier session. Newgarden topped the times in the afternoon, but the combined top ten is as follows:
- Caio Collet (No. 4 A. J. Foyt Racing) – 226.381mph.
- Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Team Penske) – 226.223mph.
- Álex Palou (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing) – 225.272mph.
- Conor Daly (No. 23 Dreyer and Reinbold Racing) – 225.215mph.
- Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren) – 225.109mph.
- Takuma Sato (No. 75 RLL Racing) – 224.957mph.
- David Malukas (No. 12 Team Penske) – 224.377mph.
- Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing) – 224.104mph.
- Jacob Abel (No. 51 Abel Motorsports) – 223.859mph.
- Rinus VeeKay (No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing) – 223.788mph.
Indianapolis 500 Open Test Completed
Two days, 15 hours and 4651 laps of testing later and the 2026 Indianapolis 500 Open Test is complete. This is just the starting point, and teams will have gathered crucial data to help them prepare for the race. Day two saw 2402 laps completed with Caio Collet setting the fastest speed. As a result, he also holds the fastest speed of the combined testing.
Drivers now face a brief break as they prepare for next week’s Sonsio Grand Prix, held at the IMS Road Course. But then it’s straight back in Indy 500 preparations as practice starts on the 12th May. With plenty of time until the chequered flag falls everything can change between now and the race. Some will have early confidence, but everyone will be striving to make improvements. The combined top ten from both days is as follows:
IndyCar is back on track on the 8th May with a shortened race weekend. The Indianapolis 500 begins on the 12th May, ready for the race on the 24th. The Month of May has begun, who will be on top as it draws to a close?