Josef Newgarden fastest in final Indy 500 practice. Takuma Sato and other contenders have problems
He'll have to do the same thing when it counts on Sunday.
The two-time defending Indy 500 winner, who will start in the last row as punishment for
an illegally modified
part found during qualifying, had the fastest lap of the 2-hour final practice on Carb Day at 225.687 mph. Teammate Will Power, who will also start at the back, was fifth while fellow Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin was just 27th on the chart.
'We have the tools and the people to battle to the front,' Newgarden said, 'which is what we plan to do.'
McLaughlin, whose car did not have the offending part and escaped Team Penske punishments, will start 10th after
wrecking his primary car
in practice last Sunday. His fastest lap in the final session of practice was just 221.675 mph.
'I know we have fast cars,' McLaughlin said. 'Everyone feels that way, as well.'
The final opportunity to put cars on the track before race day, when
a grandstand sellout
is expected to produce a crowd of more than 350,000 people, turned out to be an eventful one for Rahal Letterman Lanigan and several other teams.
Graham Rahal, who struggled just to make the 33-card field, only got about 40 minutes of practice in before a mechanical issue produced a puff of smoke and fluid out the back of the No. 15 car. He wound up going to the garage area early.
'It just seems like we've always been behind and things keep happening,' said Rahal, whose team was still trying to diagnose the problem. 'We can't get caught up here. The car was better today, a lot better. ... It is what it is at this stage. You just got to go.'
Two-time winner Takuma Sato, who will start for RLL in the middle of the front row, also failed to make it to the end. He pulled his car behind a wall and waited for time to run out on the session before his team began to troubleshoot his problems.
Ryan Hunter-Reay's session quite literally went up in smoke. Fire erupted out the back of the No. 23 car, which had been eighth-quickest in practice, and the 2014 race winner had to quickly escape from the vehicle as the emergency crew arrived.
'I had a methanol fire back in 2003, and I just remember what went on there and that same kind of feeling. So after I felt a liquid or whatever it was — it could have been some kind of fire-retardant liquid — it just started to smoke more and more.'
Hunter-Reay wasn't sure the extent of the damage to the rear of the car or what it could mean for his race.
'I hope it's not a hybrid deal because Jack (Harvey) earlier in the week had a hybrid melt down on him,' Hunter-Reay said. 'But yeah, that caught my attention. When it fills up with smoke in fourth gear, something is seriously wrong.'
Rookie pole-sitter Robert Shwartzman
spent long stretches in his pit box as Prema Racing tried to get his car working better in traffic; Colton Herta, who went to a backup car after his crash last Saturday, had trouble with his brake systems; Ed Carpenter's hybrid system had to be replaced because it wasn't working properly; and 2016 winner Alexander Rossi went to the garage just 30 minutes into practice because of water that suddenly began leaking from the back of his car.
The result was a busy Gasoline Alley just 48 hours before the green flag for 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.'
'I think the car has been good and we were happy with where we were in practice Monday,' said Rossi, who will start on the outside of the fourth row. 'But that's what Carb Day is for, to find issues like this.'
___
AP auto racing:
https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
J.P. Crawford hits 2-run homer in 9th to lift the Mariners past the Rangers, 4-3
SEATTLE (AP) — J.P. Crawford hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning to give the Seattle Mariners a 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday night. Dominic Canzone led off the ninth with a single off closer Robert Garcia (1-6), bringing Crawford to the plate. On the third pitch Crawford saw, he sent a 95 mph fastball into the seats in right. Seattle gained another game on AL West-leading Houston and firmed its grip on the third wild-card spot by two games over the Rangers. Rowdy Tellez, Josh Smith and Marcus Semien had RBI hits in the third to give Texas a 3-1 lead. Seattle newcomer Josh Naylor had an opposite-field double in the fifth to cut it to 3-2. Eduard Bazardo (5-0) pitched the ninth for the victory. Key moment Crawford's homer in the ninth. Key stat Crawford had the first walkoff homer of his major league career. Up next Merrill Kelly (9-6, 3.22 ERA) was set to make his Rangers debut Saturday, with Luis Castillo (8-6, 3.19 ERA) set to start for the Mariners. ___ AP MLB:
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Ex-Olympic champ Rowdy Gaines calls for changes at USA Swimming as team struggles in Singapore
SINGAPORE (AP) — Rowdy Gaines, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, minces few words when he broadcasts swimming for the American network NBC. And he didn't hold back in an interview with The Associated Press over the shaky state of American swimming. He's calling for big-time changes as the Americans struggle at the world championships in Singapore. The American team isn't winning as much as expected or dominating, it's battling a case of 'acute gastroenteritis' picked up at training camp in Thailand before arriving in Singapore, and the governing body — USA Swimming — has been without a CEO for a year. 'Can you imagine any corporation going for a year without a CEO?' Gaines asked. Underwhelming Americans The Americans were also underwhelming a year ago at the Paris Olympics. They led the medal table, but won only eight gold medals, the lowest total since the 1988 Seoul Olympics. 'We're far from killing it," said Gaines in a telephone interview from the United States. "It's a major struggle and we can't hide our heads in the sand and say this is just a blip.' Gaines said he's been texting frequently with Greg Meehan, the national team director who was appointed four months ago. Meehan is also the head coach in Singapore. The American haven't said how many swimmers have fallen ill, but in an interview Meehan said 'the overwhelming majority of the team has gone through something' at the championship." 'Greg and I have been going back and forth in a very good way, very positive," Gaines said. He called Meehan a good choice and said he's had too little time to turn things around. Gaines also pointed out that the focus is the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. These world championships, less so. 'I think he's (Meehan) going to be great," Gaines said. "He's got that calm reserve. He had great success at Stanford. He's coached some of the best swimmers ever. I think he's a good choice, he's just walking into a bit of a landmine.' Thailand training camp Like many, Gaines questioned why the Americans picked Thailand as a training camp site and noted that global swimming now has dozens of countries that can beat the Americans, and many of their elite athletes train in the States. Those include the two stars in Singapore: Frenchman Léon Marchand and Canadian Summer McIntosh. Marchand trains at the University of Texas at Austin, and McIntosh will be there this fall and join Bob Bowman's training group. Bowman is, of course, the former coach of American swimming legend Michael Phelps. 'You can blame it on the illness, you can blame it on the inexperience -- most of these kids have never been in this situation -- and you can blame it on logistics,' Gaines said. 'Thailand doesn't make sense to me in the first place.' He also put some blame on what he called the 'state of today's athletes.' 'I think in some cases there's an entitlement for a lot of these kids, they feel like -- 'I should be in the finals of the world championships. And I can still do the peripheral stuff and not worry about making it all the way'." 'I think there needs to be a more focused attitude on the task at hand,' he added. Post-Olympic blahs Gaines also noted that many swimmers struggle the year after the Olympics. They just finished a four-year cycle, so where is the motivation to start over again? "It just beats you up because mentally and physically you are focused on four straight years, and the post-Olympic year can beat some people up. The post-Olympics is a real thing for all athletes whether you're from China or the United States." On the positive side, he talked up the future of 10 to 15 young American male swimmers including Luca Urlando, the winner of the 200-butterfly and the only American man to win gold over the first five days. The championships end Sunday. 'The women are already very good,' Gaines added. Gaines said much of the problem is that USA Swimming has gone for a year without a leader. Tim Hinchey resigned as the CEO a year ago. He was replaced by Chrissi Rawak, who stepped down after just a few days. 'I do think changes need to be made, there needs to be a complete reset," Gaines said 'But I don't think the sky is falling. But there needs to be some great leadership. Whoever they hire as CEO needs to be the leader that is sorely needed.'
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
It's Ledecky vs. McIntosh in the 800 freestyle, the centerpiece of the world championships
SINGAPORE (AP) — It's Katie Ledecky against Summer McIntosh in the final of the 800-meter freestyle, probably the most anticipated race at the swimming world championships in Singapore. The race is one of six finals on Saturday, but it overshadows everything else on Day 7. The championships wrap up on Sunday. Ledecky of the United States holds the world record (8 minutes, 04.12 seconds) set earlier this year. The 28-year-old American has dominated the distance for a decade and has already won gold in the 1,500 in Singapore. She also has a bronze in the 400. Ledecky, 28, has won nine Olympic gold medals — the most decorated female in history — and her first gold was in 2012 in the London Olympics in the 800. McIntosh is an 18-year-old Canadian. She's already won three golds in Singapore and she swam just a second off Ledecky's time earlier this year. If anyone is to dethrone Ledecky, it's McIntosh. This would be McIntosh's fourth gold as she goes for five individual golds in the worlds, a feat only achieved the legendary American swimmer Michael Phelps. The other five finals are: the women's 50 butterfly; the men's 50 free; the women's 200 backstroke; the men's 100 butterfly; and mixed 4x100 freestyle relay. The Americans and Australians have each won five gold medals through six days. The Americans lead in overall medals with 20, although their performance has been lackluster and slowed after much of the team came down with a case of 'acute gastroenteritis' in training camp in Thailand. __
