Speedway, Ind. – Team Penske is the most decorated team over the course of history of the Indianapolis 500. Opening day of practice for this years 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge was no exception for the three-car powerhouse at the hallowed 2.5-mile oval, as 2018 winner Will Power paced a Penske 1-2 on the speed charts.
Power set the fast time in the rain-shortened session at 227.026 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet in the last 30 minutes of practice. Power’s teammate and two-time defending Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden was second with a lap of 226.971 mph in the No. 2 Shell V-Power NITRO+ Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden is eying a record-setting third consecutive Indianapolis 500 victory.
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Practice was delayed two hours, 32 minutes late due to rainy conditions, and ended 32 minutes early due to lightning detected in the vicinity of the speedway.
“I think we’ve got a pretty good baseline,” Power said. “My teammates are pretty good. I learned a thing or two off them. It’s almost it’s own championship in itself. You’ve got to look for your weaknesses and improve.”
NTT IndyCar Series points leader Alex Palou was the fastest among the Ganassi garage, posting the third fastest speed on the day at 226.673 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou is on an unprecedented pace, winning four of the first five races of the 2025 season, including last weekends Sonsio Grand Prix at the IMS road course.
Four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves displayed his experience at the 2.5-mile oval with a sixth best speed of 224.523 in the No. 06 Cliffs Honda by Meyer Shank Racing, a team that Castroneves is part-owner with.
All 34 drivers turned laps on Tuesday afternoon for a total of 1,549 laps in the shortened session. FOX network will continue practice coverage throughout the week from noon-6 p.m. (noon-4 p.m., FS2, 4 p.m.-6 p.m., FS1, and the SiriusXM IndyCar Radion Network channel 218).
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