The Coca Cola 600, the longest race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, will take place at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday. The race will start at 6 p.m. EST and will air on FOX. Viewers can also watch the race via live stream options such as FOX Sports, Sling, or fuboTV. Meanwhile, Takuma Sato led a strong showing from the Chip Ganassi Racing quartet in final practice for the Indianapolis 500 on Friday, while Graham Rahal and Katherine Legge worked feverishly to get up to speed before race day.
Takuma Sato led the final practice session ahead of the Indianapolis 500 on Carb Day, with some teams concerned about tire wear due to cool conditions. At least two Ganassi cars showed cording on their front-lefts, but the only actual tire failure was due to debris. Will Power was third fastest, with Alex Palou and Kyle Kirkwood rounding out the top five. Graham Rahal's first proper outing in the No. 30 DRR/Cusick Chevrolet ended with him 30th fastest, just behind Katherine Legge.
Takuma Sato was the fastest in the final Carb Day practice session for the Indy 500, with a speed of 227.855mph. Scott Dixon and Will Power followed him in second and third place respectively. The session was incident-packed, with several cars suffering issues, including Katherine Legge, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Devlin DeFrancesco. The Indy 500 race will start on Sunday at 12:45 pm local time.
The 107th Indy 500 is set to take place on May 28, with nearly 60 hours of coverage from the speedway available on NBC and Peacock. Scott Dixon and Takuma Sato are the top favorites to win, with nine former winners in the field. The qualifying format includes two days of qualifying with one entry not making the field, and the drivers' average speed over a four-lap run determines their standing. Rain threatens to hinder two days of running on track during the first week of practice.
Reigning IndyCar champion Will Power led practice for the Indianapolis 500, followed by Scott Dixon and Takuma Sato. Teams continued to fine-tune their setups for Race Day, with all 33 drivers combining to turn 2,005 laps. The session was halted due to a two-car crash involving Katherine Legge and Stefan Wilson, with both drivers making contact with the SAFER Barrier. The final practice will be on Friday, with the race scheduled for Sunday.
Takuma Sato topped Fast Friday at the Indy 500 with a speed of 234.753mph, ahead of Marco Andretti and Rinus VeeKay. Sato also topped the four-lap average speeds, which is how qualifying is decided, at 233.413mph. Qualifying for the Indy 500 starts tomorrow at 11am local time.
Takuma Sato of Chip Ganassi Racing remained at the top of the speed charts midway through Indy 500 Fast Friday, but four-lap averages produced by rivals suggest that CGR will have a fight on its hands when qualifying begins. Conor Daly set an early four-lap benchmark of 232.012mph, which held until Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Autosport reeled off a pair of 233mph laps backed up by a couple in the high-231mph range to string together a 232.613mph four-lap average that dethroned Will Power. Rinus VeeKay of Ed Carpenter Racing raised the four-lap benchmark to 232.898mph, which remained the standard as the session entered its second half.
Four drivers exceeded 233 mph in four-lap qualifying simulations during Fast Friday practice for the Indianapolis 500, with Takuma Sato leading the way at 233.413 mph. Defending race winner Marcus Ericsson was next at 233.133. Team Penske had the next two best efforts, with Will Power and Josef Newgarden. Qualifying begins at 11 a.m. ET Saturday, and positions 13-30 will be determined. The first four rows and Row 11 will be determined Sunday.
Takuma Sato and Scott Dixon, both past winners of the Indianapolis 500, topped 229 mph in the first day of practice for the upcoming race. Chip Ganassi Racing drivers took four of the top seven spots on the speed chart, with Sato leading at 229.439 mph. Practice resumes on Thursday, and the race is scheduled for May 30th.
Takuma Sato led a Ganassi 1-2 in practice for the Indy 500, setting a lap of 229.439mph, faster than the quickest lap in regular boost-level practice last year. Scott Dixon was second, followed by Santino Ferrucci, Alex Palou, and Scott McLaughlin. Teams ran a qualifying setup earlier than usual due to perfect weather conditions and extra tires from the rained-out day. Practice resumes on Thursday for another six hours of running.
Josef Newgarden won the PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway, with Takuma Sato crashing out on lap 48 and damaging his primary car for the upcoming Indianapolis 500. Alexander Rossi suffered damage during a pit stop incident and Graham Rahal was involved in a crash with Devlin DeFrancesco. Johnny Rutherford was honored for his 85th birthday. Rinus VeeKay was the biggest mover in the field, and Elliott’s Custom Trailers and Carts has become an official supplier of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
Takuma Sato is excited to make his debut with Chip Ganassi Racing at the Texas Motor Speedway for the PPG 375 race. Sato, who is on an oval-only deal with the team, spent the weekend getting to know the crew and attending engineering meetings. He hopes to add more victories to his record and then take stock of whether he wants to pursue a return in whatever capacity next year.
