IndyCar
Takuma Sato and Scott Dixon lead Carb Day practice for Indy 500
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato led the final Indianapolis 500 practice session before Sunday’s ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’.
Sato turned a fast lap of 227.855 mph (39.4988-seconds) in the No. 11 Deloitte Chip Ganassi Racing Honda as teams took advantage of a two-hour ‘Carb Day’ practice session.
“We had a beautiful Carb Day today,” said Sato. “All four cars are in really good shape. What’s most important is that the car reacted the way that we expected. We will get together to discuss it, but I think we have a good package. The team has done a great job.”
Sato’s quick lap was just enough to edge teammate Scott Dixon in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda who turned a fast lap of 227.285 (39.5978).
“The balance shifted a lot from Monday to today, as the conditions were a lot different,” said Dixon. “We made some adjustments but in the end, the car was really good and we could run up front and run in traffic.”
Team Penske’s Will Power was third fastest at 226.953 (39.6558) in the No 12 Verizon Chevy. Power turned the fastest lap in Monday’s last full 500 practice.
Three of the four CGR cars were in the Top 5 as 500 Pole Sitter Alex Palou turned the fourth fastest lap at 226.945 in the No. 10 American Legion Honda.
“Carb Day was awesome with so many people here today,” said Palou. “I can’t even imagine what it is going to be like on Sunday. The No. 10 American Legion has been fast since the Open Test, but we’ve always wanted more. We’re trying to be a bit more comfortable and get even more speed and we got that today. We’re really happy with how we ended. Can’t wait for Sunday.”
Andretti Autosport’s Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the Top 5 blasting around the 2.5-mile oval at 226.872 mph (39.6700).
There were only two incidents during the session. Andretti’s Devlin Defrancesco cut a tire and RLL Racing’s Katharine Legge lost a wheel nut but recognized the loose wheel before getting up to speed. Both drivers prevented any damage.
Live coverage of the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 starts at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday on NBC and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
MARKHAM, ONTARIO (August 15, 2026) – The NTT IndyCar Series is making it’s first visit to a new street circuit in Markham, Ontario but a familiar face topped the speed charts after the first practice.
Four-time Series Champion Alex Palou turned the fastest lap around the 12-turn, 2.19-mile temporary street course, a 1-minute, 14.9915-seconds (100.811 mph) lap in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
A.J. Foyt Racing rookie Caio Collett was second quick with a 1-minute, 15.0454-seconds (100.739) in the No. 4 Chevrolet.
Louis Foster was third quick in the No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda at 1:15.0278 (100.702) followed by Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin 1:15.2981 (100.401). Will Power rounded out the Top 5 at 1:15.3152 (100.378).
Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammates were not as strong. Six-time Series Champion Scott Dixon was 20th at 1:16.4583 (98.877) in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda. Kyffin Simpson was 24th at 1.17.3893 (97.688) in the No. 8 Sunoco Honda. Simpson made contact with the wall at Turn 6, causing damage to the rear suspension. Simpson limped to pits for repair and returned to action later in the session.
Practice 2 is set for 2:30 p.m. as delayed track construction forced officials to cancel Friday’s activities and condense Saturday’s schedule. NTT P1 Pole Qualifying is set for 6:30 p.m. ET
MARKHAM, ONTARIO (August 14, 2026) – Issues with the completion of the temporary street circuit in Markham Ontario has forced the NTT INDYCAR SERIES first practice to be moved to Saturday as all of Friday’s on-track activity had to be scrubbed from the schedule.
“INDYCAR is incredibly disappointed that our promoter was not able to complete the track build on time, despite significant support from our team on site,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said. “Ontario has always been a magnificent market for our sport and the number of spectators that attended today is a shining example of that. New events can always pose logistical challenges and we join in the frustration of our loyal fans and apologize.”
Green Savoree Promotions also issued a statement.
“Ensuring the safety of the drivers and the completion of the certification process of competing on a brand-new racetrack delayed all on-track activities today. Today’s sessions have been rescheduled to Saturday, August 15, to allow for further track preparations.”
“We greatly appreciate all the fans who made it out to the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham today and chose to spend the day with us. The attendance and support were overwhelming.”
The revamped schedule calls for the first practice to take place at 10:00 a.m. followed by a second practice at 2:30 p.m. and P1 Pole Qualifying at 6:30 p.m.
PORTLAND, OR (August 9, 2026) – Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing are closing in on another NTT IndyCar Series Championship after winning Sunday’s Only Bulls Portland Grand Prix.
Palou started second and passed Felix Rosenqvist during the first round of pit stops by staying out an extra lap and using the ‘overcut’ to get the lead and then dominated, leading 60 of 110-laps to grab his sixth victory of 2026.
“Everybody at CGR and Honda did an incredible job,” said Palou, who started second. “I had an absolute rocket ship today. It was very, very nice to drive every single lap.”
“We had to do something different than Felix,” said Barry Wanser, team manager for the No. 10 Honda. “We had to go longer than him. It takes a lot of performance by Alex and certainly the Honda engine to give us the fuel mileage to jump in one more and do the overcut. That helped us. We had a pretty smooth pit stop and got the jump there.”
Rosenqvist, who started on the pole in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Grateful Dead Honda, closed to within a second late but couldn’t get back to the front.
“He got us in a sequence,” said Rosenqvist, the 2026 Indianapolis 500 winner. “I got kind of twisted up leaving my box because I was so close to the Schumacher crew. I think between the overcut and that, we kind of lost the position. From there on we just sat in second.”
Andretti Global’s Will Power finished third in the No. 26 TWG Honda to lockout the podium for the manufacturer.
“Great day for us,” said Power. “Great day for Andretti. Didn’t quite have the pace I think the top two guys. Probably about a tenth off. Just seriously fast pace all day. Qualifying laps, really good quality. Such a quality field now.”
The victory for Palou increased his Championship lead to 110 points over Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global, a gap of more than two races with just five races remaining this season.
“Chip puts the best guys around me, but then also everybody is just executing,” said Palou. “That car is a rocket ship, and I’m just lucky enough to drive it.”
The next NTT IndyCar Series race is the inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham on Sunday, Aug. 16 on the streets of Markham, Ontario.
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