Dixon fastest on day two of Indy 500 practice as Alonso crashes
Chip Ganassi racer Scott Dixon topped the speed charts on the second day of Indy 500 practice, while double Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso became the first driver to crash
Five-time IndyCar champion Dixon clocked a 226.102mph lap in the final hour of the day's running, around 0.4mph ahead of Takuma Sato's top time from the morning, while Marco Andretti slotted his Andretti Herta Autosport machine into third to make it a Honda 1-2-3.
Conor Daly again looked strong for Ed Carpenter Racing, landing P4 - the last of the cars under the 40s barrier and the top Chevrolet runner - while fastest rookie was Alex Palou's Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh entry in fifth.
Colton Herta took sixth - and second fastest speed set without the aid of a tow, beaten only by Jack Harvey in the Meyer Shank Racing-Honda, which broke into the 222mph zone.
PLUS: Why 2020 offers a second-generation racer his best Indy 500 shot
The earlier speed of Charlie Kimball (A.J. Foyt Racing-Chevrolet) kept him seventh, as improvements became scarce as temperatures climbed and speeds dropped.
But one of the major talking points was Alonso's shunt in the final hour.
He was trailing a crocodile of cars with barely 45 minutes left to run in the 6hr30min day two practice, when he went over the concrete strip at the apex of Turn 4.
The #66 Arrow McLaren SP-Chevrolet became unsettled and slid high and hard into the outside wall before bouncing off, spinning through 180 degrees and sliding backwards down pitlane.
Alonso, who is due to make his second start in the Indy 500 next week, was checked and cleared by medical staff.
Alonso tweeted: "126 laps today and good day in general, until last hour that I made a mistake and touch the wall."
Despite the shunt, he was still fastest Arrow McLaren SP driver, although he was only a couple of spots ahead of rookie Oliver Askew.
The pair were separated by another Coyne car, the 'extra' entry - in partnership with Rick Ware Racing/Byrd/Belardi - driven by James Davison.
Team Penske-Chevrolet's drivers were only 16th, 18th, 23rd and 27th.
Felix Rosenqvist (Ganassi) and Dalton Kellett (Foyt) turned the most laps of the day at 141 each.
The cars' twin BorgWarner turbos will now be increased from 1.3-bar to 1.5-bar for Friday's practice session, which will yield 80-90 extra horsepower.
This is in preparation for qualifying weekend, in which the cars run with this increased level of power and are trimmed out aerodynamically for the four-lap runs that set the grid.
Day 2 practice result
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 39.8050s |
| 2 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 0.0722s |
| 3 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 0.1508s |
| 4 | Conor Daly | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.1762s |
| 5 | Alex Palou | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 0.2001s |
| 6 | Colton Herta | Andretti Harding | Dallara/Honda | 0.2576s |
| 7 | Charlie Kimball | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.2640s |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso | Arrow McLaren SP | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.3085s |
| 9 | James Davison | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 0.3172s |
| 10 | Oliver Askew | Arrow McLaren SP | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.3451s |
| 11 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 0.3459s |
| 12 | Rinus Van Kalmthout | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.3613s |
| 13 | Jack Harvey | Meyer Shank Racing | Dallara/Honda | 0.4044s |
| 14 | Tony Kanaan | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.4318s |
| 15 | Zach Veach | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 0.4351s |
| 16 | Helio Castroneves | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.4395s |
| 17 | James Hinchcliffe | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 0.4401s |
| 18 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.4424s |
| 19 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 0.5000s |
| 20 | Patricio O'Ward | Arrow McLaren SP | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.5138s |
| 21 | Santino Ferrucci | Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan | Dallara/Honda | 0.5410s |
| 22 | Spencer Pigot | Citrone Buhl Autosport with RLL | Dallara/Honda | 0.5460s |
| 23 | Will Power | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.5577s |
| 24 | Felix Rosenqvist | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 0.6181s |
| 25 | Marcus Ericsson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 0.6208s |
| 26 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 0.6297s |
| 27 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.6961s |
| 28 | Dalton Kellett | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.7430s |
| 29 | J.R. Hildebrand | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.8118s |
| 30 | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.8155s |
| 31 | Sage Karam | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.8253s |
| 32 | Max Chilton | Carlin | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.9917s |
| 33 | Ben Hanley | DragonSpeed | Dallara/Chevrolet | - |
Why 2020 offers a second-generation racer his best Indy 500 shot
Marco Andretti tops Fast Friday at Indy 500
Title-winning Newman/Haas Indycars to be auctioned
Indycars raced by Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Sebastien Bourdais are among artefacts of the legendary Newman/Haas Racing team to be auctioned by RM Sotheby's in October.
Ganassi will support Palou’s IndyCar title bid despite contract dispute
Chip Ganassi Racing won’t waver in its support of Alex Palou’s IndyCar title defence, despite being locked in a legal dispute with the Spaniard who intends to join McLaren.
Why the 2022 IndyCar title fight is Penske vs Ganassi yet again
There have been wins, poles and promise from others, but the 2022 IndyCar Series championship battle has distilled down to a fight between old rivals Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing once more. A principal from each explains what has elevated their teams beyond other rivals ahead of the final three races
Nashville IndyCar winner Dixon feared race was ruined by shunt
Scott Dixon was convinced that car damage had ended his victory hopes at IndyCar's Nashville round, before working his way to the front to eventually claim his 53rd series win.
How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled
Chip Ganassi Racing team was strong again in the Indianapolis 500, with poleman Scott Dixon and reigning champion Alex Palou leading almost three quarters of the race between them. But when dominator Dixon was penalised for pitlane speeding, ex-Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson stepped up to score the biggest win of his career and seize the IndyCar points lead
Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021
In an enthralling 2021 IndyCar campaign, the series bounced back from its COVID-19 truncated year prior and Alex Palou defeated both the established order and his fellow young guns to clinch a maiden title. It capped a remarkable season with plenty of standout performers
How F1's other IndyCar exile finally unlocked his potential
Romain Grosjean's swashbuckling rookie year in IndyCar captured the imagination of many in 2021. But another ex-Formula 1 driver whose potential was masked by five years of toil in, at best, middling machinery also enjoyed a breakout year in 2021 - winning twice and finishing sixth in points. Here's how Marcus Ericsson finally delivered on his promise
How Ganassi's relentless new champion outfoxed IndyCar's best
IndyCar sophomore Alex Palou stunned by overcoming team-mate Scott Dixon and the rest of a white-hot field in 2021. He was consistently fast and crucially showed a level head, rebounding well from setbacks to put himself in a near unassailable position entering the final round
Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up?
Despite appearing to have an IndyCar job for life with Meyer Shank Racing, Jack Harvey’s departure and move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing sparked plenty of debate. However, Harvey's and RLL's combined strengths could prove to be a winning combination - if they get the balance right
Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing IndyCar win
Saturday 16 October marks the 10th anniversary of Dan Wheldon’s death. David Malsher-Lopez pays tribute, then asks Wheldon’s race engineer from 2011, Todd Malloy, to recall that magical second victory at the Indianapolis 500
Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting
Kyle Kirkwood, the record-setting junior formula driver, sealed the Indy Lights championship last weekend. But despite an absurdly strong junior career and scholarship money, his next move is far from clear
Why IndyCar title glory is just the start for Ganassi's new star
Newly-crowned IndyCar champion Alex Palou has been lauded as a complete driver and veteran-like in only his second season. The 24-year-old is still in the early days of his career, but the parallels are there for all to see with his six-time champion Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate who has been CGR's team leader since 2014