Chaves leads quiet practice session before Indy 500 qualifying
Gabby Chaves was fastest among a group of just eight cars that ventured onto a cold and slightly misty Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Saturday morning practice before Indy 500 qualifying
The Harding Racing Dallara-Chevrolet driver clocked a 228.160mph lap to top the session by a mere 0.1mph ahead of Graham Rahal's Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Dallara-Honda.
This pair were some 3mph clear of the AJ Foyt Racing Dallara-Chevrolets of Conor Daly and Carlos Munoz, with Jack Harvey turning a 222mph lap in the #50 Andretti Autosport Dallara-Honda, run by Michael Shank Racing.
Harvey lost track time on Friday with a blown engine, the fifth HPD unit to let go since last weekend's race on the Indianapolis road course.
Ryan Hunter-Reay, Buddy Lazier and Sage Karam completed their laps very early in the session and were the only other runners to venture onto the course.
Qualifying runs from 11am-6pm local time and will decide which drivers make Sunday's 'Fast Nine' pole shootout, and which drivers will compete for positions 10 through 33.
SATURDAY MORNING PRACTICE TIMES:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Time | Speed | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gabby Chaves | Harding Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 39.4460s | 228.160 | 12 |
| 2 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 39.4725s | 228.007 | 7 |
| 3 | Conor Daly | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 39.9858s | 225.080 | 10 |
| 4 | Carlos Munoz | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 40.0655s | 224.632 | 3 |
| 5 | Jack Harvey | Michael Shank Racing | Dallara/Honda | 40.5193s | 222.116 | 7 |
| 6 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 40.5690s | 221.844 | 3 |
| 7 | Buddy Lazier | Lazier Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 41.1334s | 218.800 | 6 |
| 8 | Sage Karam | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 43.3870s | 207.435 | 3 |
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