The Indycar open test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is over. What did it tell us? Very little actually. Drivers didn’t get much running in as the first day of testing was shortened due to rain and there was no running on day two. Veteran’s and rookies were able to get in two hours of running each. The group running barely started when the rain started around 1:30 local time.
The one thing that it told race fans is that Josef Newgarden is still fast. The defending Indy 500 winner topped the charts with a run of 228.811 mph. The surprise of the session was rookie Kyle Larson in second, but more about him later. The top five was rounded out by Ganassi drivers Scott Dixon, Alex Palou and Penske driver Scott McLaughlin. One driver fans should not sleep on is the impressive speed put up by A.J. Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferucci. His speed of 223.369 mph had his sixth on the speed chart in the opening session and 11th overall in the combined sessions. Ferrucci was part of the fast nine in last years qualifying. He led some laps, and finished third. It was the most competitive the Foyt team has run at Indianapolis in quite some time. Look for him to be fast come May.
Some of the surprises were at the bottom of the speed charts. 2016 Indy 500 winner Alex Rossi only managed to run 35 total laps for a top speed of 220.938 mph. That put him 28th out of the 34 drivers. Is it anything to worry about? I would say no. Based off what the other McLaren cars ran I’d say he will be fine. Ryan Hunter-Reay had electrical problems so the 2014 Indy 500 champ could only muster seven laps total. He ended up last on the speed chart with a speed of only 206.290 mph. Of all the drivers needing some track time it was RHR in his Dreyer and Reinbold Racing entry. Hunter-Reay’s teammate, Conor Daly was able to run 22 laps and come in 22nd with a speed of 221.850 mph.
Usually with a two day test it’s not unusual for drivers to only get in one day of running with weather canceling out the second. The difference is they usually get a full day of running in, and this year was not the case.
The driver everyone is talking about, and the speed is that of the 2021 NASCAR season champion Kyle Larson. Larson impressed everyone by ending up second on the overall speed chart with a speed of 226.384 mph. Most will tell you that he received a tow, and that may be the case. It still doesn’t take away from the fact that he is fast and adapted well to the Indycar, so far.
Still the run was impressive. I am by no means a Kyle Larson stan. In fact, I rarely watch NASCAR. But I, nor anyone else, should sleep on the fact that Larson is a talent. Probably one of the most talented drivers on the planet right now. Larson wins in whatever car he drives. He is an absolute beast on the dirt. His resume speaks for itself. He’s won the Knoxville Nationals, The Kings Royal, 4-Crown Nationals in a midget, wingless sprint, and Silver Crown. He’s also won the Belleville Midget Nationals. Oh, I forgot to mention he is a Hoosier Hundred winner and a two-time Chili Bowl Nationals winner.
Larson didn’t stop there. He has produced wins in the ARCA Menards East and West Series plus the ARCA Menards Series. He has three wins in the Craftsman Truck Series, fifteen NASCAR Xfinity Series wins, and 24 wins as of this writing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Let’s not forget that Larson has an overall win at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2015. Race fans want to discredit his contributions to the win as he was teamed up with Scott Dixon, Jamie McMurray, and Tony Kanaan. That’s not the case. Larson matched the best lap time in the car tied with Scott Dixon. In fact, Larson set 12 of the cars fastest 20 laps.
Of all the drivers that have attempted to do the double, it looks like Larson has the best chance of them all at winning the Indianapolis 500. We haven’t seen a rookie this impressive at Indianapolis since Fernando Alonso in 2017. Alonso led the race and had a shot at victory until his motor expired with only 21 laps left. That too was in a then McLaren affiliated car. I am not going to predict a Larson victory, but I will predict he will have a shot at the win and will be in contention barring something out of his control. Larson will learn about traffic come May. His record has shown he was won in everything that he drives. It’s really not out of the question that Kyle Larson could be the first driver to win “The Double”.
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