The boost was turned up for Friday’s practice running at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with drivers practicing qualifying simulations.
Throughout the six-hour long session, nearly all drivers struggled to find a good balance on their Dallara machines.
Track temperatures climbed to 138° F during the afternoon hours, the highest ever measured by Firestone since they began keeping records in 2015.
Hot temperatures, gusty winds, faster speeds, and the extra weight of the hybrid all contributed to the treacherous runs on the 2.5-mile oval.
Nearly half the field ended up abandoning at least one of their four-lap simulation runs, such was the level of uncertainty behind the wheel.
Only in the final hour of the session did clouds move in to cool the track and give drivers a more representative run under their belts.
When time ran out on Fast Friday, Scott McLaughlin had set the fastest single lap at 233.954 MPH. Last year’s pole sitter looked much more stable than most of the other drivers on track, and even set his time early in the day.
The fastest four-lap average was set by Scott Dixon, however, who turned in a qualifying simulation averaging 232.366 MPH late in the day.
Alex Palou and Kyle Kirkwood also looked strong, as they have in the previous days of practice earlier in the week.
Over the limit
The first large crash of the Indy 500 event was suffered by Kyffin Simpson in the #8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Simpson was attempting to complete his first lap at speed when the car broke loose while travelling through Turn 4 on his first fast lap.
The car spun around 180 degrees and smacked the wall hard with the left side of the chassis, which then lifted into the air.
Luckily the car settled back to the tarmac on all four wheels and Simpson slid down the track before coming to stop at the pit lane entrance.
Simpson was able to walk away, although he was a little shaken. The team immediately began preparing his backup car in the garage area, but was not able to get him back on track for any more laps.
Kyle Larson also crashed during the late afternoon hours, his #17 entry spinning in Turn 3 and colliding with the wall.
The impact only damaged his front nose assembly, however, and he was able to complete an installation lap after just one hour in the garage area.
Multiple other drivers bailed on their runs, but there were no other incidents aside from a few short cautions for debris.
A weather front is moving through the area this evening, and temperatures are set to by much more moderate for Saturday’s crucial qualifying.
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