Strong showing for Australasians in Indianapolis test

Pre-season IndyCar Series testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has concluded with Team Penske pilot Josef Newgarden atop the timesheets.

After the first day was disrupted by rain, the second day of the Open Test ran largely without interruption.

Timesheet topper Newgarden set the quickest time of 39.6792s on his 60th lap of the famed Brickyard, ultimately completing 121 laps after eight hours of running.

Last year’s Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) spent much of the day pinned to the bottom of the scoring, but moved forward late in the piece.

A flier in the final half-hour of the day took him to second place, a 39.7534s putting him just 0.0742s shy of Newgarden.

There was very little to suggest Juan Pablo Montoya (Arrow McLaren SP) hadn’t seen Indianapolis Motor Speedway in four years as he set the third quickest time, a 39.8013s.

Last year’s title winner and six-time IndyCar Series winner Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) was fourth on a 39.8395s with Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) fifth.

Ed Carpenter Racing’s Conor Daly was another driver to surge late in the piece, ending the day in sixth with Team Penske’s next best driver Will Power in seventh.

Jack Harvey (Meyer Shank Racing), Patricio O’Ward (Arrow McLaren SP), and Helio Castroneves (Meyer Shank Racing) completed the top 10, which was covered by just three tenths.

As the final hour began, Scott McLaughlin sat on the fringe of the top 10 in 13th but ultimately fell to 18th by the day’s end as those around him made late gains.

Carrying the famed Pennzoil paint scheme, McLaughlin completed close to a full race distance across the eight hours as he banked 195 laps.

That figure was the most of anyone for the day, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson the next best with 188 laps to his credit in 28th.

McLaughlin’s best lap, a 40.2131s, put him half a second off the pace of team-mate Newgarden.

The Kiwi edged out fellow former Supercars driver Simona De Silvestro, who in the Team Penske supported Paretta Autosport entry was 21st.

Now the IndyCar Series shifts its focus away from Indianapolis Motor Speedway to Barber Motorsports Park.

The 2021 season gets underway next weekend for the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.

Results: IndyCar Series Open Test, Day 2