General Newgarden Tops Practice, Again

Josef Newgarden just before setting the month's top speed

For the second time out of three practice sessions, rookie Josef Newgarden topped the charts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  With a top average of 222.486 mph, the Tennessean once again established the strength of his Dollar General #67.  The Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing entry has been fast since Rookie Orientation Practice on Thursday, and as the week goes on should remain a legitimate contender for the prized Pole Position.  Andretti Autosport teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay (221.639) and Marco Andretti (221.519) were second and third on the speed charts, respectively.  These times, along with Saavedra and Hinchcliffe also inside the top 10, show that the Andretti cars may have a leg up on their fellow Chevrolet engine partners.

The first non-debris caution of the month was thrown when Ganassi Racing's Graham Rahal blew his Honda motor.  A small fire and quite a bit of smoke could be seen coming out of the rear of his #38 entry as he crossed the famed yard of bricks. It was reported by various outlets, however, that Rahal was approaching a motor change anyway, so this should not set him back very much.

With nice weather on the forecast for all days leading up to Pole Day on Saturday, speeds should continue to steadily climb as teams figure out the new DW12. Be sure to keep visiting "Seanny D Covers Indy" as the cars continue to pound laps around the 2.5 mile oval.

Notes:

• The top 24 cars, from Newgarden's hot lap down to Alex Tagliani's 217.445, were within one second on the time charts.
• Formula 1 veteran Jean Alesi passed his 3rd and final stage of Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation on Monday.
• Dragon Racing's Sebastien Bourdais and Katherine Legge have still yet to hit the track in preparation for the 96th Indianapolis 500 due to the legal battle over engines.