Today’s question: What are you looking for at the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Open Test this Wednesday, April 23 and Thursday, April 24 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway?
Curt Cavin: I’m eager to see how Christian Lundgaard stacks up in his second IMS test with Arrow McLaren. He raced reasonably well in three “500” starts with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, finishing 13th in last year’s race, but his qualifying results – he never started higher than 28th and was twice in the 30s – were troublesome. In October, Lundgaard was slowest among the 11 drivers in the first hybrid test at the Speedway, which was surprising given Arrow McLaren’s pace on the oval the past three years. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t give that a second glance, but that won’t be the case if he’s in that neighborhood this week. At any rate, Lundgaard’s Month of May will be an interesting watch. If he can be a legitimate contender at Indy and on ovals, in general, I look for him to be a factor for the championship.
Eric Smith: Two-time defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou began the 2025 season with two consecutive victories, inducing panic in the paddock that he will run away with his fourth championship in five seasons. He leads the standings by 34 points entering the test. However, my eye is on Josef Newgarden to create a similar narrative to Palou’s hot start. Can the two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner create his own panic within Gasoline Alley by being fastest in this week’s test? How’s this for a stat: Newgarden was quickest in the Open Test in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024: A fifth straight year could signal he is THE favorite for the return to the 2.5-mile oval next month. Newgarden told Curt and me last October that no one wants to see him become the first driver in the 109-year history of the great event to win a third Indy 500 in a row. Newgarden is aware that what worked the last two years won’t automatically translate to this Month of May. But he has the capability to rattle off a top speed this week and create a narrative that this is still his race to lose.
Arni Sribhen: This test at IMS is not unlike most practice days in the Month of May at Indy. It’s about learning how your car reacts in different conditions. For those who spend their days at the track, we’re focused on lap times to see who has speed or watching pack runs to see who looks good in traffic and could be a potential favorite to win on Race Day. I’m sure this week’s test will be similar, but with the addition of hybrid technology to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES cars last summer, I’ll be curious to see how and when drivers choose to deploy and regenerate the additional electrical power. We’re used to seeing how this generation of INDYCAR SERIES car races at IMS. The lead cars pass using runs developed down the long, 5/8th-mile straights at IMS. It’s how Pato O’Ward passed Josef Newgarden in Turn 1 just after the white flag flew last May and how Newgarden passed O’Ward back entering Turn 3 to earn his win. With the addition of hybrid, might we see more passing behind the leaders? Could we see some regeneration on the straights, allowing a driver to deploy at corner exit to set up a run to the line? I hope so. And I hope it sets up a classic finish like we’ve seen in 1982, 1992 or 2006.
Paul Kelly: I’m watching Andretti Global. The team seems to be on an upswing lately in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, with Kyle Kirkwood winning at Long Beach and Kirkwood and Colton Herta sweeping the front row. Kirkwood is second in points, with Herta seventh. But the team hasn’t won “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” since 2017 with Takuma Sato. That’s a seven-year drought at Indy, the longest since the team returned to the “500” and the series in 2003. Andretti’s Marcus Ericsson already knows how to win this race, taking the checkered flag in 2022. But the Indy oval has been a rough spot for Herta, whose best “500” finish in six starts is eighth in 2020. Kirkwood finished seventh last year, his only top-10 at Indy in three starts. It’s no longer essential to have a great day in the “500” for championship contention, as the race stopped paying double points in 2023. Still, if Andretti Global is to topple two-time reigning series champion Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing and stand at the center of the stage as the championship winners in late August in Nashville, a win by any of its three drivers – especially the contending Kirkwood – would go a long way toward achieving that goal.