UPDATE: Because of inclement weather, the Indy 500 Open Test has been canceled for Friday, April 21
The Indy 500 open test will begin Thursday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as IndyCar teams begin tuning up for the season’s biggest race while series officials fine-tune on its oval racing package.
After a hugely successful debut for added downforce in the April 2 race at Texas Motor Speedway, IndyCar will be trying for aerodynamic tweaks over two days on the Brickyard in hopes of high-quality racing May 28 in the 107th Indy 500 (11 a.m. ET, NBC).
Building on the barge boards that were used at Texas, IndyCar is expected to use road course-style strakes and more rear wing flexibility to allow drivers greater handling in the draft at 230 mph.
INDY 500 PRIMER: Start times, schedules for watching in May on Peacock, NBC
With teams focusing on qualifying runs and settling into their cars, Colton Herta isn’t expecting to learn much about Indy 500 favorites from the test but is expecting to get an understanding of how the aerodynamic changes will affect handling.
“You won’t see who has a fast car,” Herta said. “You’ll get somewhat of a read, but it won’t be clear cut. Everybody knows what to expect from wind tunnel data, and data from Honda or Chevy, on the aerodynamics. We know the numbers of how much drag and downforce. We know what to start off on and go through every option to make sure the data is right. It’s not a massive change. It’s nowhere near the change for Texas.
“The biggest thing is Texas was great, but the car doesn’t create enough drag to get a massive tow like the past cars with big front rear wings. Those create more drag, and it’s usually a better race. Then it’s how far you go until it’s a pack race. Texas was right at the limit of being able to do that. We’re still trying to find a little balance.”
Herta and his Andretti Autosport teammates enter the test from capturing three of the top four spots in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Kyle Kirkwood became a first-time winner in IndyCar, and Romain Grosjean tied a career best by taking second. Herta, Kirkwood, Grosjean and Devlin DeFrancesco will be joined by a fifth Indy 500 teammate in Marco Andretti.
“We hope we unload fast,” team co-owner Michael Andretti said about the Indy test. “You always hold your breath until you get it on the track and the first couple of runs with the cars. We’re hoping that all five cars will be equal, then we’ll be able to have a fun month and not have to worry about one of the slow cars.
“Sometimes it’s really difficult to get all five cars to be equal. We work really hard to try to do that.”
With inclement weather in the Friday forecast, IndyCar has added 90 minutes to the Thursday testing schedule, which will begin an hour earlier at 10 a.m. ET.
Here are the details for the 2023 Indy 500 test on Peacock (all times are ET):
SCHEDULE: Thursday, April 20, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (veterans 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; Rookie Orientation Program and refresher tests 1-3 p.m.; all drivers 3-6 p.m.). Friday, April 21, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
TV: All 14 and a half hours of on-track action will be covered by NBC Sports on Peacock Premium. Click here for more information about IndyCar on Peacock, which features comprehensive live coverage of every minute of the 2023 season with practices, qualifying and race simulstreams. Click here for the 2023 IndyCar broadcast schedule.
Leigh Diffey and James Hinchcliffe will call the action Thursday with pit reporters Marty Snider and Kevin Lee. they will be joined by 2014 Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay (who also is driving in the test) as a guest analyst. Hinchcliffe, Snider, and Lee will anchor Friday’s coverage.
FORECAST: According to the Weather Underground site, it’s predicted to be 59 degrees at 11 a.m. Wednesday with a 41% chance of rain. Temperatures are expected to climb into the mid-80s. Friday temperatures are expected to be much cooler with a strong chance for rain.
ENTRY LIST: There are 33 driver-team combinations entered in the test.
AJ Foyt Racing (2): Santino Ferrucci, Benjamin Pedersen
Andretti Autosport (5): Marco Andretti, Devlin DeFrancesco, Romain Grosjean, Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood
Arrow McLaren (4): Tony Kanaan, Alexander Rossi, Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist
Chip Ganassi Racing (4): Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Alex Palou, Takuma Sato
Dale Coyne Racing (2): David Malukas, Sting Ray Robb
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (2): Ryan Hunter-Reay, Stefan Wilson
Ed Carpenter Racing (3): Ed Carpenter, Conor Daly, Rinus VeeKay
Juncos Hollinger Racing (2): Agustin Canapino, Callum Ilott
Meyer Shank Racing (2): Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (4): Graham Rahal, Jack Harvey, Katherine Legge, Christian Lundgaard
Team Penske (3): Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, Will Power