Indy 500: Rahal leads Dixon in opening practice

Rahal lapped at 223.449mph, to marginally shade Chip Ganassi Racing’s six-time IndyCar champion Dixon, with rookie Scott McLaughlin heading up the Chevrolet-powered runners with third fastest in the #3 Penske entry.

Two-time Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya produced the best speed for Arrow McLaren SP, ahead of Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan driver Ed Jones, who finished third in his Indy 500 debut back in 2017.

2018 Indy 500 winner Will Power was sixth just ahead of series returnee Santino Ferrucci in the third RLL entry, this year’s Texas Motor Speedway winner Pato O’Ward, 2016 Indy 500 polesitter James Hinchcliffe, and three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, in the second Meyer Shank Racing.

Three-time Indy 500 polesitter and local hero Ed Carpenter – runner-up in 2018 – was top of the no-tow speeds, ahead of O’Ward, Marcus Ericsson in the #8 Ganassi, defending race winner Takuma Sato and Jones.

The best Turn 1 trap speed was 230.150mph turned by Conor Daly in the #47 Ed Carpenter Racing, while pacesetter Rahal was the fastest down to Turn 3, at 232.306mph.

There were four caution periods for spitting rain that took a hefty 43-minute chunk out of the two-hour session which saw 32 cars in action, of which Power and Ericsson turned the most laps – 30.

Refreshers clear programme but more needed from rookie Enerson

JR Hildebrand and Stefan Wilson have completed their refresher tests for the 2021 Indy 500, but RC Enerson’s car suffered a mechanical failure while running his Rookie Orientation Programme.

Hildebrand, who is driving the #1 AJ Foyt Racing entry, was the first to complete his course, turning a fastest lap of 218.298mph.

Wilson required a little more time in the sixth Andretti Autosport car, as he had airflow issues with the top of his helmet, where he found the chinstrap cutting into his neck as the helmet lifted. However, race control allowed him to run his last seven laps of Phase 3 in the day’s final two-hour session, and he completed the required number of laps without issue.

Rookie Enerson was both lucky and unlucky. Driving for Top Gun Racing, he was in Phase 2 and looking fast and smooth, but pitted after 27 laps and the team discovered a split CV boot that had spat grease over the right-rear corner of the car. The team later indicated his day was over while they effect repairs.

Earlier in the two-hour session that was open to all participants, Foyt driver Sebastien Bourdais suffered a fire in the right-rear corner, bringing out the caution flags. The IndyCar veteran indicated that while the cause of the fire had not yet been verified, he was confident it wasn’t an engine failure, nor would it require an engine replacement.

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