Helio Castroneves pursuit of a record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 win looks promising after the Team Penske driver paced Carb Day on Friday, the final practice before Sunday’s race.
2017 Indy 500: Full results from Carb Day
Three-time race winner Helio Castroneves was fastest in the final practice prior to Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Castroneves’ lap of 227.377 mph around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway led the one-hour session, followed by Takuma Sato (226.802 mph) and 2013 race winner Tony Kanaan (226.757 mph). Pole-sitter Scott Dixon was fourth-fastest (226.685 mph), and Formula One export Fernando Alonso (226.608 mph) completed the top five.
Several cautions slowed practice, most notable for an engine failure on James Hinchcliffe’s Honda-powered car, which began smoking and came to a stop on the backstretch. It was latest issue for the manufacturer that has experienced repeated problems with reliability throughout the month — including an engine change on Alonso’s car prior to qualifying last Sunday.
“As long as it’s in practice, it’s OK,” Alonso said Friday. “If you put it in another way, if the practice today was 10 minutes shorter, that could happen on the parade [lap].
Graham Rahal was sixth in final practice, with defending race winner Alexander Rossi seventh. Castroneves’ Team Penske teammates Josef Newgarden, Juan Montoya, and Will Power were eighth, ninth and 11th, respectively. Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2014 race winner, was 10th.
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