INDIANAPOLIS – Kyle Larson’s Fast Friday was much more fun than the one he experienced during Thursday’s Indianapolis 500 practice.
After only completing 85 laps during the first three days of practice, the IndyCar rookie completed 34 laps on Friday. Larson completed one lap at 234.271 mph, making him the second fastest of the day behind Colton Herta’s 234.974 mph.
“Things went a lot smoother today and went according to plan, but yesterday that wasn’t the case,” Larson told the media just before the qualifying draw. “I thought I would be able to do a lot of laps (Thursday) because the weather forecast was good, but that didn’t happen.” Yesterday was pretty frustrating, but everything went smoothly so it’s good to practice a few times. ” Indy 500 News: Why Kyle Larson finished 25th on the timesheet at Thursday’s Indy 500
The 108th Indianapolis 500 on May 26 was Larson’s first IndyCar race, so he planned to spend the week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway getting to know the track and getting used to driving an IndyCar. .
Instead, the 2021 NASCAR Cup champion didn’t get much track time this week in the No. 17 McLaren Racing Chevrolet. Larson finished just 25th on the timing chart during Thursday’s practice.
But Larson spent a full day at the track on Fast Friday and made the most of it. In addition to setting the second-fastest lap on Friday, Larson reached a speed of 232.549 mph during the four-lap simulated qualifying run, good for 10th place.
For Fast Friday, the car will receive an additional 100 horsepower turbocharger boost. Larson wasn’t used to this kind of horsepower boost earlier in the day, but it didn’t make as much difference as he expected.
“When I watch the old Indianapolis shows, the commentators were good at making you think, ‘Hey, we’re going 100 miles per hour,'” Larson said. “But it didn’t really feel that different, so I was happy. “I thought the balance of the car was good.
It allowed me to stay a little calmer in the car and if I had gone out and felt that the rear tire was at its limit, I probably would have felt faster. ” Larson’s 234.271 mph lap was the fastest he had ever driven a race car in his 13-year career.
Turbocharger boost will continue to be used in qualifying on Saturday and Sunday. Larson will qualify sixth on Saturday after his 9-year-old son Owen won the No. 6 coin in the qualifying drawing.
Larson heads into qualifying with growing confidence in his abilities in IndyCar and IMS.
Indy 500 News: 2024 Indianapolis 500 qualifying standings “Every round (of practice) it got a little easier and I think I was able to make some adjustments,” Larson said. “I think I started to understand it little by little by moving some buttons and playing with the colors of things.”
Friday was a necessary day for Larson to get used to his driving skills and get enough laps in before qualifying.
The 31-year-old will compete in the Indy 500 and NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, aiming to become the fifth driver to complete “The Double.”
Despite a frustrating week for Larson and his McLaren Racing team, Fast Friday brought optimism to the NASCAR veteran as he looks to qualify for his first Indianapolis 500.
