Paddock Buzz: Contenders Savor Playing in Traffic at IMS

Ever wondered why the usual Indianapolis 500 contenders often practice together during the Month of May? It’s no accident.

Sometimes teammates line up in the draft, but it’s also common to see the sport’s heavy hitters running in groups that resemble Race Day. Veterans rarely spend much time practicing with rookies as drivers use sessions on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval to measure themselves against proven competition.

“Obviously, I’m not going to go run around just anybody,” AJ Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci said. “I want to go run around the people that I think I’m going to race with.”

Ferrucci, a seven-time Indy 500 starter with seven top-10 finishes, said drivers intentionally seek out proven contenders to compare strengths, study tendencies and avoid unnecessary risks with unstable cars.

“We’ll go run with the Penskes and Ganassis, some of the Andretti cars,” Ferrucci said. “I like to run with Pato (O’Ward). I definitely want to keep tabs on him.”

The sessions become part practice, part chess match. Drivers study where competitors are stronger in traffic and how their driving styles differ. Ferrucci pointed to Pato O’Ward’s unique approach behind the wheel of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet as an example of something worth learning from.

“You’re just trying to understand where you think they’re better than you and what you need to work on,” Ferrucci said. “The whole month’s a game of chess.”

Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon said every lap matters more because of the condensed modern schedule with six days of practice compared to multiple weeks in the past.

“It’s always a detail-oriented sport,” Dixon said. “You plan all year for this one.”

O’Ward also prefers practicing with experienced oval racers. He’s finished sixth or better in five of his six Indy 500 starts and lists Ferrucci, Dixon, Josef Newgarden, David Malukas, Alex Palou, Helio Castroneves, Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi as drivers with whom to work in traffic.

“You can start sizing up people,” O’Ward said. “You can start reading what they’ve got, if they’re hiding something. You want to be out there with the guys that you know you’re going to be fighting.

“I like to run with people who know what they're doing here. There’s a lot of really good guys out there that you can always start playing around with and kind of help each other.”

Meyer Shank Racing Shows Speed Thursday

Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian flexed its muscle Thursday, placing second, third and fourth on the speed charts.

Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Castroneves (photo, above) led the group with a lap of 226.977 mph in the No. 06 Cleveland Cliffs Honda. Castroneves was 23rd Wednesday. He started 22nd and finished 10th in last year’s race in this car.

It has been five years since Castroneves earned his record-tying fourth Indy 500 victory and the first – and only – NTT INDYCAR SERIES win in Meyer Shank Racing history. His previous three “500” victories came with Team Penske in 2001, 2002 and 2009. A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears also own four Indy 500 wins, too.

Marcus Armstrong ranked third at 226.841 in the No. 66 Acura Honda. Armstrong enters his third Indianapolis 500 with a best finish of 18th last year in his first season with MSR. He was also second on Opening Day and 11th Wednesday.

“So far, so good,” Armstrong said. “Tomorrow will be more telling of where everyone is at once the engines are turned up.”

The Honda and Chevrolet engines that power the field will feature approximately 100 more horsepower on “Fast Friday” due to increased boost levels that also will be available during PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on Saturday and Sunday.

Felix Rosenqvist was fourth at 226.626 in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda after ranking 12th Wednesday.

Rosenqvist has averaged a 6.25 starting position over his last four Indianapolis 500 starts, including a front-row start (third) with Arrow McLaren in 2023 and fifth last year.

“We were in race trim all day,” Rosenqvist said. “Kind of limited running today. I had a decent traffic run in the morning. The SiriusXM wagon seems to pull pretty well.”

Team Penske Encouraged by Early Speed

Team Penske, owner of a record 20 Indianapolis 500 victories, appears poised to contend again after a difficult 2025 race. Last year, Scott McLaughlin crashed on the pace lap, Josef Newgarden retired with mechanical trouble after charging to sixth, and Will Power finished 18th.

This week’s speed has been encouraging. McLaughlin (photo, above), Newgarden and David Malukas all ranked inside the top eight with a race running-focused program Wednesday. On Thursday, the team focused on qualifying simulations, with McLaughlin second, Malukas third and Newgarden sixth on the non-tow speed charts.

“Solid day in qualifying trim,” McLaughlin said. “Overall, the Pennzoil Chevy feels pretty strong in race and qualifying trim.”

Malukas continues building momentum in his first season with Penske. He enters the Indianapolis 500 third in points and has been the team’s top finisher in three of the last four races and top qualifier in five of the six races.

He finished runner-up in last Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix and second in last year’s “500” with AJ Foyt Racing.

Malukas also earned his first career NTT P1 Award in March at Phoenix Raceway.

“So far, it’s been so good,” Malukas said. “The car in clear air is very quick. The car in traffic, even faster.”

Team Penske has a record 19 Indy 500 poles, 11 more than next best, Chip Ganassi Racing with eight.

Grosjean Quietly Strong This Week

Romain Grosjean made his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut in 2021 with Dale Coyne Racing, competing only on road and street courses after surviving a horrific Formula One crash in Bahrain at the end of the 2020 season.

His car pierced a metal barrier, split in half and caught on fire during the opening lap of the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, leaving Grosjean (photo, above) with second-degree burns on his hand. Given the severity of the accident, it would have been understandable if he never wanted to race on an oval.

That mindset quickly changed once he experienced NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition. Later in 2021, Grosjean added an oval start at World Wide Technology Raceway, helping spark his desire to compete full time in the series.

A strong rookie season ensued, as Grosjean finished 15th in points with three podium results and five top-10 finishes in 13 starts. Two runner-up finishes came on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, eventually leading to full-time seasons with Andretti Global in 2022 and 2023 and Juncos Hollinger Racing in 2024.

Along the way, Grosjean discovered the magnitude of the Indianapolis 500.

“I realized how big the ‘500’ was and what an event it is,” Grosjean said. “It becomes something you mark on your calendar every year.”

Grosjean has made three Indianapolis 500 starts, with his best finish in 2024 when he placed 19th with Juncos Hollinger Racing. After spending last season assisting PREMA Racing as an advisor, he returned to action this year to Dale Coyne Racing.

“The atmosphere on Race Day, what it takes to be fast, it’s so much more than you imagine watching from Europe,” Grosjean said.

Grosjean showed strong pace Wednesday and Thursday, posting the fifth-fastest lap Wednesday at 226.591 mph in the No. 18 Bmax.IO Honda and ranking eighth Thursday at 225.786.

Odds and Ends

• Marcus Ericsson, 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner, sported a mustache Wednesday. Ericsson, an Andretti Global driver, said he wasn’t intentionally growing it out but decided it was time to shave after asking his wife, Iris, for her opinion when he got home from the track Wednesday night.

• O'Ward has developed a habit of excelling in the Thursday practice session before Fast Friday. He finished sixth, eighth, first, fourth and first, respectively, in the session over the last five years. The last time before this year he topped Thursday practice, he finished runner-up to Josef Newgarden in the 2024 Indianapolis 500. O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) led Thursday’s session at 227.308 mph.

• Rinus VeeKay of Juncos Hollinger Racing arguably was among the most consistent drivers Thursday, ranking 11th overall at 224.994 mph and fifth on the non-tow chart at 223.086 mph in the No. 76 WedBush-JHR-DRR Chevrolet.

• Kyffin Simpson admitted he has never visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, located inside Turn 2 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but said it remains on his bucket list once preparations for the Indianapolis 500 slow down.