Indy 500: Ganassi's Chilton fastest in last full practice session
Chip Ganassi Racing's Max Chilton led the way in the final full practice session for the Indianapolis 500, as drivers focused on running in traffic
Chilton, who will start 15th in Sunday's IndyCar race, clocked a 228.592mph lap during the three-and-a-half-hour session to finish 0.4mph clear of Dale Coyne Racing rookie Ed Jones.
Polesitter Scott Dixon was third fastest on a 227.165mph to complete an all-Honda top three, ahead of the fastest Chevrolet driver, reigning champion Simon Pagenaud for Penske.
After eight practice sessions and qualifying, the only remaining running before the 101st Indy 500 will be Friday's traditional hour-long session on Carb Day.
Takuma Sato was the best of the Andretti drivers in fifth, with Ryan Hunter-Reay seventh, defending winner Alexander Rossi ninth, Marco Andretti 10th and Fernando Alonso 12th.
McLaren Formula 1 driver Alonso was one six to complete more than 100 laps, along with Chilton, Penske's Helio Castroneves and Will Power in fifth and 11th, Charlie Kimball and Jack Harvey.
"It was OK," said Alonso. "It was going back to the known setup from last Thursday, so some good laps today.
"Even though the session was a bit shorter, we maximised the track time, so it was a useful day again.
"Today, we tried many things, we just need to put everything together now and try to be ready for Sunday."
Rookie Harvey, whose Andretti entry is being run by Michael Shank Racing, not only completed the most laps (124) but topped the speeds recorded without the aid of a tow with an 224.036mph effort.
The next fastest no-tow speeds came from Rossi, Jones, Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan and Mikhail Aleshin.
James Davison was 28th fastest in Dale Coyne's hastily-repaired back-up #18 car, his first day with the team replacing the injured Sebastien Bourdais.
PRACTICE EIGHT RESULTS:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Speed | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Chilton | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 228.592 | 108 |
| 2 | Ed Jones | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 228.118 | 86 |
| 3 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 227.165 | 98 |
| 4 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 226.998 | 95 |
| 5 | Takuma Sato | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 226.806 | 80 |
| 6 | Helio Castroneves | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 226.705 | 121 |
| 7 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 226.542 | 61 |
| 8 | Sage Karam | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 226.381 | 87 |
| 9 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Herta | Dallara/Honda | 226.376 | 70 |
| 10 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 226.224 | 66 |
| 11 | Will Power | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 226.199 | 109 |
| 12 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren-Honda-Andretti | Dallara/Honda | 226.147 | 122 |
| 13 | Mikhail Aleshin | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 225.967 | 68 |
| 14 | Tony Kanaan | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 225.955 | 83 |
| 15 | Jay Howard | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 225.946 | 82 |
| 16 | Gabby Chaves | Harding Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 225.931 | 80 |
| 17 | Charlie Kimball | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 225.729 | 119 |
| 18 | James Hinchcliffe | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 225.504 | 94 |
| 19 | Oriol Servia | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 225.389 | 36 |
| 20 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 225.234 | 72 |
| 21 | Jack Harvey | Michael Shank Racing | Dallara/Honda | 224.823 | 124 |
| 22 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 224.793 | 99 |
| 23 | Conor Daly | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 224.727 | 87 |
| 24 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 224.651 | 55 |
| 25 | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 224.442 | 79 |
| 26 | J.R. Hildebrand | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 224.337 | 89 |
| 27 | Carlos Munoz | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 223.749 | 69 |
| 28 | James Davison | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 223.670 | 88 |
| 29 | Pippa Mann | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 223.524 | 60 |
| 30 | Sebastian Saavedra | Juncos Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 222.965 | 69 |
| 31 | Spencer Pigot | Juncos Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 222.093 | 45 |
| 32 | Zach Veach | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 221.612 | 61 |
| 33 | Buddy Lazier | Lazier Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 218.998 | 43 |
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