Takuma Sato fastest in the last workout of the carb day…

With the exception of the first day of Indy 500 practice last Tuesday, the weather has been beautiful all week and blue skies prevailed today. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was packed with fans eager to catch a glimpse of the Indy cars roaring down the straights at 230 mph for the final practice.

Carburetion Day, the final practice session, was set up to allow teams to adjust their carburettors before the race. It is now known simply as Carbohydrate Day. Friday’s event has become a popular day for local fans as it not only allows the 33 participants to make final adjustments and practice pit stops, but also hosts a pit stop competition and music concerts.

The two-hour session started at 11:00 in slightly cool 18C conditions and rose to 23C by the end of the session. Although the forecast called for hotter conditions on race day, it proved to be an ideal day to check the cars for the 200-lap race.

Sixteen Honda-powered cars will compete in this year’s Indy 500 series. In today’s race, Takuma Sato (Chip Ganassi Racing) was fastest around the 2.5-mile oval with an average speed of 227.855 mph. Sato ran 86 laps, which not only gave the team a chance to make final adjustments to the car, but also to gather more information in preparation for the race. Sato’s fastest lap of the day showed his strong desire for a third Indy 500 victory after victories in 2017 and 2020. Sato reacted to the cheering crowd as he got out of his car, looking pleased with his progress.

Sato’s teammate, 2008 Indy 500 winner and six-time series champion Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing), was second fastest with a personal best of 227.285 mph. Alex Parow (Chip Ganassi Racing), the 2021 IndyCar champion and this year’s Indy 500 pole-sitter, was fourth fastest at 226.945 mph, showing that the Chip Ganassi Racing drivers performed well not only in qualifying but also in final practice. Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti Autosport), who won his first career Round 3 this year, was fifth fastest at 226.872 mph. Kirkwood’s teammates Colton Harta (Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian) and Romain Grosjean (Andretti Autosport) finished seventh and eighth fastest respectively.

After tomorrow’s drivers’ meeting, 33 competitors will participate in a grand parade in downtown Indianapolis. Sunday is the Indy 500, now a tradition that heralds the arrival of summer in the Midwest.