Power leads the way in final practice ahead of Sunday's Indianapolis 500

(Steve Swope for Team Penske)

Reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Team Penske’s Will Power led the way in the final practice session ahead of Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.

Power completed 46 laps of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with his fastest lap coming on lap 20 as he registered a lap of 39.2978 with a top speed of 229.020mph. Pole sitter Scott Dixon was second fastest for the Target Chip Ganassi Racing Team with a 39.3727 with a speed of 228.585mph in the No.9 car. The New Zealander completed 44 laps and ended the session 0.0749s behind Power.

Dixon’s Ganassi team mate Tony Kanaan was third fastest in the No.10 car. The Brazilian who will make his 300^th IndyCar start on Sunday set a fastest time of 39.3891 with a speed of 228.490mph completing 39 laps ending the session just ahead of Simon Pagenaud in the second Team Penske machine. 

The Frenchman set a fastest time of 39.3945s completing 36 laps with his fastest time of 228.458mph coming on lap 11.

AJ Foyt Enterprises Takuma Sato was fifth fastest with his lap time of 39.4318 coming on his 33^rd lap of 38. The Japanese driver registered 228.242mph.

Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s Charlie Kimball was sixth fastest with a 39.5065s coming on lap 11 of 38 with 227.811mph. The American ended the session just ahead of his Ganassi team mate and Indianapolis 500 rookie Sage Karam who registered a 39.5642s with 227.478s completing 30 laps.

Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing’s JR Hildebrand was eighth fastest clocking 227.199mph with a time of 39.6129s on lap 11 of 31.

Rookie Gabby Chaves driving for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian was ninth fastest with a 39.6822s with 226.802mph completing the fastest time of his run on lap 11 of 37. The Colombian finished the session just ahead of Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves who clocked a 39.7046s lap of 226674mph on lap 23 of 52. Castroneves completed the most number of laps of any driver during the session.

James Davison eleventh fastest in the No.19 Dale Coyne Racing entry with a fastest lap speed of 226.578mph setting a time of 39.7214s on lap 29 of 45. AJ Foyt Enterprises Jake Hawksworth was 12^th fastest with a 39.7463s recording 226.436mph on lap 26 of 30. The British driver finished the session just ahead of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Oriol Servia with a fastest time 39.7856s registering 226.212mph on lap 32 of 41.

Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing’s Josef Newgarden was 14^th fastest with a 39.8177s registering 226.030mph on lap 5 of 41.

Verizon IndyCar Series point’s leader Juan Pablo Montoya was 15^th fastest for Team Penske with a lap of 39.8191s with 226.022mph on his final lap. The Colombian completed 15 laps of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

AJ Foyt Enterprises Alex Tagliani was 16^th fastest. The Canadian registered 225.939mph with a time of 39.8337s on lap 11 of 29.

Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing co-owner Ed Carpenter was 17^th fastest setting a time of 39.8765s on lap 18 of 27 registering 225.697mph. Carpenter ended the day just ahead of Dale Coyne Racing’s Tristan Vautier who is filling in for Carlos Huertas who has been ruled out of Sunday’s race due to an inner ear problem.

The Frenchman’s fastest lap was 225.687mph and was 39.8782s on lap 31 of 43. Chip Ganassi Racing Team’s Sebastian Saavedra was 19^th fastest with a time of 39.8994s on lap 17 of 31 registering 225.567mph.

Andretti Autosport’s Carlos Munoz was 20^th fastest in the No.26 car with a fastest time of 39.9361s registered on lap 40 of 46 at 225.360mph.

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Conor Daly was 21^st fastest with a time of 39.9410s recorded on lap 12 of 34 at 225.332mph ending the session just ahead of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal who set a fastest time of 39.9489s on lap 9 of 45 registering 225.288mph.

KV Racing Technologies Stefano Colette was the first driver to record a lap in the 40’s with a time of 40.0290s at 224.837mph on lap 14 of 39. Andretti Autosport driver Marco Andretti was 24^th fastest in the No.27 with a 40.0468s which was set on lap 12 of 34 at 223.737mph. Andretti ended the session just ahead of KV SH Racing’s Sebastian Bourdais who set a time of 40.0541s with a lap of 224.696mph on lap 16 of 34.

Sheffield’s Justin Wilson in the No. 25 Andretti Autosport machine was 26^th fastest with a 40.0550s registered at 224.691mph on lap 16 of 38. The Englishman ended the day just ahead of Dreyer and Reinbold Kingdom Racing’s Townsend Bell who set a time of 40.0877s at a speed of 224.508mph on lap 17 of 34.

Schimdt Peterson Motorsports James Jakes was 28^th fastest with a 40.0897s registered at 224.497mph on lap 16 of 31.

Andretti Autosport’s Simona De Silvestro was 29^th fastest in the No.29 car at 40.1061s at 224.405mph on lap 7 of 29. Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Ryan Briscoe was 30^th fastest in the No.5 car with a time of 40.1776s with 224.005mph on lap 23 of 38.

Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter Reay was 31^st fastest in the DHL sponsored No.28 with a 40.1836s registered on lap 17 of 36.

Britain’s Pippa Mann driving the No.63 Dale Coyne Racing entry was 32^nd fastest with a 40.2525s with a lap of 223.589mph on lap 19 of 29. Bryan Clauson rounded out the timesheet in 33^rd place for the KVSH/Jonathan Boyd’s Racing team with a 40.5226s recorded at 222.098mph on lap 18 of 35.

© Ben Johnston 2015