IndyCar: Sato tops Fast Friday ahead of 500 qualifications

With the engines turned up by 90 HP, Dale Coyne Racing’s Takuma Sato turned a lap of 232.789mph (Trap Speed 243mph)  in qualifying trim to top all comers in his Honda-powered car on what is called Fast Friday ahead of qualifying for the Indy 500.

Sato’s teammate, rookie David Malukas, had the fastest 4-lap average on the day until Tony Kanaan pipped him by a whisker in the final 15 minutes of running.

Sato led with a lap of 232.789 mph in the No. 51 Nurtec ODT Honda during a four-lap qualifying simulation run in the last hour of the six-hour session, which took place in challenging conditions of air temperatures in the high 80s and steady winds of 20 mph, with gusts reaching 41 mph. It appeared Sato was headed to the fastest qualifying sim of the day, but he was forced to lift on his third lap. He still ended up fifth on the qualifying sim speed chart at 229.680.

“We were lacking downforce on Lap 3 and dropped off on Lap 4,” Sato said. “Lap 3 and Lap 4 are the key. We carried too little downforce.”

The speediest driver in a four-lap qualifying sim was 2013 “500” winner Tony Kanaan, at 47 the oldest driver in the field. Kanaan averaged 230.517 in the No. 1 The American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda in the final hour of practice, toppling Sato’s Dale Coyne Racing teammate, rookie David Malukas, from the top of qualifying sim chart.

Malukas, 20, the youngest driver in the field, ended up second on the qualifying sim chart at 230.287 in the No. 18 HMD Honda. Malukas could become the first “500” rookie to win the pole for the Indianapolis 500 since Teo Fabi in 1983.

“We divided the program so David had more downforce,” Sato said. “It’s good to have at both ends, and we’ll just combine it tomorrow.”

Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi had the fastest speed for most of the day at 231.883mph in his Honda until beaten late by Sato.  However, Rossi’s speed was set in warmer conditions while Sato’s was set during happy hour.

Nether Sato or Rossi were in the top-10 for 4-lap averages that are required during qualifying. A top speed sounds nice, but it is the 4-lap average that counts.

Pato O’Ward was the fastest Chevy powered car in third at 231.798mph.

There is a practice session Saturday morning ahead of qualifying when we typically see the fastest times of the month, and the feeling is the Penske Chevy’s were sandbagging in today’s windy conditions and will turn up the wick on Saturday.

It should be noted that most of the top teams, like Andretti, Penske and Ganassi sat out most of the day because of the wind and the risk of an accident.

The only incident on Friday was when Jimmie Johnson slightly hit the wall and bent the floor and right rear suspension. He drove the car back to the pits.

“I’ve hit plenty of things during my career in racing,” Johnson said. “Luckily it wasn’t a full yard sale; it was just crossing the line a little bit. I was able to download with my teammates and get a better feel for positions with the tools inside the car. I was too cautious with my settings and had a lot of understeer in the car, and I just didn’t get on top of it quick enough.”

Friday Practice Results