Eventually, everything worked out.
All four Indianapolis 500 newcomers have passed the rookie orientation program, each veteran who needed the refresher course was cleared and 2008 Indy winner Scott Dixon overcame the 2-hour, 45-minute delay for an internet connectivity issue to post the fastest lap of the day at 225.182 mph on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's historic 2.5-mile oval.
“How can you not love being here? I really love it a lot more after the last two years,” said Newgarden, who was second-fastest at 225.125. “For most everybody here, it's putting basically a new car on the track and hoping it goes fast. It doesn't mean everything's going to be smooth sailing, but hopefully it goes well the next few weeks.”
The day certainly didn't start well for Newgarden or the other 31 IndyCar drivers. They wanted to see how the hybrid system and changing weight distribution would impact racing and tires the series fastest track.
Instead, they waited for the internet connectivity issue to be resolved.
The original schedule called for series regulars to start their first two-hour session at 10 a.m., followed by another two-hour window for rookies and refresher course drivers before opening the track to everyone for four hours, ending at 6 p.m.
Track officials adapted by shortening the first and third test sessions while still allowing the full two-hour slot for rookies and the veteran IndyCar non-regulars, extending testing until 7 p.m. as a smattering of disappointed fans sat patiently in the infield grandstand and in the seats on the outside of Turn 2. Finally, at 12:45 p.m., the green flag came out as the schedule was revised.
At least that was a sufficient solution on a perfect racing day — sunny, temperatures in the 70s and relatively tame winds for a session reigning Brickyard 400 winner Kyle Larson acknowledged he needed.
"It feels a little different, not quite the same balance I had last year,” the 2021 Cup champ said. “Overall, I felt comfortable but still felt rusty on small, little things, like hitting the buttons. Good to get all that out of the way today and hopefully we'll be better tomorrow.”
Larson is attempting racing's Memorial Day weekend double for the second straight year — completing all 1,100 miles of racing at Indy and Charlotte on the same day. He said he's undecided about giving it a shot again in 2026 while noting this may be his last IndyCar for the foreseeable future.
The series has had trouble establishing radio and data communications between the series new production truck and IndyCar teams, which has been a recurring theme through the first three races this season. New broadcast partner Fox also has had trouble receiving the necessary data for its telecasts.
But series officials issued a statement Wednesday night saying the connectivity issue was unrelated.
“This morning, IndyCar identified a connectivity issue with the series' upgraded software, which temporarily limited the series' timing and scoring and communication capabilities,” the statement read. “While there was a delay to the start of the two-day Indy 500 open test, corrective measures were implemented and the test resumed without further delays. IndyCar will continue to analyze and monitor the software to avoid any delays in the future.”
Still, it was unusual.
“That was the first one, but I’m glad they fixed it,” four-time Indy winner Helio Castroneves said when asked whether he'd ever waited through a delay because of connectivity problem. “It didn’t hurt the program, so far from what I understand.”
Things didn't go perfectly on the track, either.
Within the first hour, the cars of Jack Harvey and Santino Ferrucci both stopped on the track, bringing additional stoppages. Larson thought something was wrong with his car, too, and Graham Rahal's car appeared to tap the wall near the end of testing.
Series officials will crank up the boost for drivers Thursday, producing faster speeds on the second and final day of this week's testing.
Indianapolis will host its annual IndyCar road race May 10. Indianapolis 500 qualifying will be held May 17-18, and the Greatest Spectacle in Racing is set for May 25.
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