Palou concludes successful IR-28 oval validation test for IndyCar at Indy

Five-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou wrapped up the second day of the IR-28 oval validation test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, completing the full checklist 15 minutes early. Palou, driving for Honda teams under Chip Ganassi Racing, took over testing after Alexander Rossi, representing Chevrolet, completed initial oval runs on Wednesday.

While Rossi battled 90-degree heat and high humidity, a cold front lowered temperatures by nearly 10 degrees on Thursday, providing a wider range of environmental data for IndyCar and chassis manufacturer Dallara. The primary focus of the session was evaluating aerodynamic configurations and extreme ride-height adjustments, rather than chasing raw lap times.

Despite the focus on aerodynamics, Palou noted that the car naturally increased in speed throughout the session, with an improvement of over 2 miles per hour. Palou stated, "We got a lot more laps than I expected with the weather, and the car felt good. We actually got quite a lot of speed. We improved over 2 miles an hour throughout the day, and we didn’t really work too much to get it."

Comparing the oval experience to the car's debut on the IMS road course last month, Palou found the oval configuration to be more familiar to the series' current machinery. He said, "On the road course, like you're battling a lot more with the car and it was quite different. Here, although it felt smooth, but I feel like it's very similar to our current car."

Towards the end of the session, the team made final adjustments to the car, trimming it down and picking up more than 1 mph in speed. The team also addressed cockpit heat concerns reported by Rossi during Wednesday's test, noting that the new car offered additional cooling options not available on the current one.