INDIANAPOLIS – Scott Dixon was the fastest driver on Fast Friday ahead of qualifying for the 105th Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
He used that advantage as the first driver to draw for his spot in the qualification line by selecting No. 1, giving the 2008 Indianapolis 500 winning driver an excellent chance to make the Fast Nine and fight it out for the Indianapolis 500 pole.
By drawing No. 1, Dixon’s No. 9 PNC Bank Honda will be able to take the track at Noon when weather conditions should be more optimal for fast speeds. Saturday’s forecast calls for a high of 84 with high humidity.
Dixon’s fast lap on Fast Friday was 233.302 mph. He ran 29 laps and was able to get the fastest time late in the day.
RESULTS: Indianapolis 500 Fast Friday Practice
“It was just really tough to get a clear track,” Dixon said. “You had some guys doing some pretty silly stuff out there. Teams I think, too, should have been held responsible for some of those runs as well. I know it’s difficult. I know everybody wants to try to get a run. Some of those closing speeds when you have people doing cool-down laps at 150 miles an hour, you’re coming in at 240, gets pretty hairy.
“It was an interesting day. I was happy with the speed of the car. Looks like there’s a lot of strong cars out there. It looks like Honda is doing a superb job again. I’m definitely proud to powered by Honda.”
Honda drivers swept the top five positions. Colton Herta of Andretti Autosport was second in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda followed by 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan’s 232.690 mph in the No. 48 American Legion Honda. Kanaan’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Marcus Ericsson was fourth in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Honda, followed by another Chip Ganassi Racing driver, Alex Palou, who went 232.155 mph in the No. 10 NTT Data Honda.
Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren SP was the fastest Chevrolet driver at 232.034 mph.
There are two groups of practice Saturday morning beginning at 9:30 a.m. and running through 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Qualifications will be from Noon to 5:50 p.m. ET.
The fastest nine drivers will advance into Sunday’s Fast Nine qualifying that will determine the first three rows in the 105th Indianapolis 500. Positions 10-30 will be locked into their positions based on Saturday’s speeds with the final five drivers fighting it out for the 11th and final row in the Last Chance Shootout that precedes the Fast Nine on Sunday.
While Dixon had the fastest overall speed on Friday, Alexander Rossi of Andretti Autosport was the fastest No Tow driver. That means they did not have a car 10 seconds or less in front of them to create a draft for the trailing car. Rossi’s No. 27 NAPA Honda ran a fast lap at 231.598 mph. Graham Rahal was next on the No Tow list at 231.518 mph in the No. 15 Honda followed by O’Ward’s Chevrolet.
Rossi was also frustrated with the inability to run a clear lap without getting impeded by other cars, creating a bit of a traffic jam.
“Yeah, it was kind of annoying,” Rossi said. “People aren’t doing anyone any favors either. Whatever, it’s fine.
“Yeah, it was a good day. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”
Dixon would like to see more “driver etiquette” used on days like Fast Friday.
“I feel like if you’re off the pace, you just got to use the bottom lanes,” Dixon said. “How they address it, I don’t know, man. It’s tough what speed you say that is, what scenario.
“I think it was just more difficult this year because I think you’ve got a very full field that are very close. You have a couple people that are going to be hanging on pretty tough. Everybody’s trying to get a run.”
Dixon expects qualifying to be unpredictable as the field is exceptionally tight this year.
“It’s definitely tight,” Dixon said. “I think it’s always pretty unpredictable. I think some of the speeds that you see don’t always transfer to the next day. It’s going to be tough, man. I think your first draw is going to be critical and could play out badly if it doesn’t go the right way.
“Hopefully there’s enough time in the day that people can rerun and all that type of stuff. It’s definitely tight out there.”
Rossi is expecting a few surprises, though.
“There’s always surprises,” he said. “I think this year has proved that correctly across all the races, right? How many races have we had, four or five? Five races, five winners. I think that’s a testament to the series, the level of all these teams and guys. The guy that’s going to be on pole is really anyone’s guess.”
As the top Chevrolet driver, O’Ward’s goal it to make it into the Fast Nine and have the ability to fight it out for the pole on Sunday.
“I don’t think it gets harder than what we’ve got in this paddock honestly,” O’Ward said. “I think this year is really, really tough. I mean, I feel like Scott and Alex can play a bit more, this is just my second year, but it’s competitive for sure.”