Indy 500: Rookie Orientation Program and veteran refresher test results
By Asher Fair
Robert Wickens topped the speed chart in the Indy 500 Rookie Orientation Program at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, while Jay Howard did so in the veteran refresher test.
Full-time IndyCar driver Robert Wickens was one of three rookies who participated in the Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Program at the four-turn, 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana on Tuesday.
Wickens topped the speed chart in the Rookie Orientation Program with a lap at 220.111 miles per hour (40.8884 seconds) around the track in his #6 Honda for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. He also drove James Hinchcliffe’s #5 Honda for the team, but his fastest lap in that car was only a lap at 210.605 miles per hour (42.7340).
The two other drivers who participated in this session were A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ Matheus Leist in his #4 Chevrolet and Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser in his #32 Chevrolet. They finished the session in second and third place, respectively, behind Wickens in the #6 Honda and ahead of Wickens in the #5 Honda.
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The second session of the day was the veteran refresher test, which included Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ Jay Howard, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s Sage Karam, and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Danica Patrick.
Howard topped the session in Hinchcliffe’s #5 Honda with a lap at 219.648 miles per hour (40.9747 seconds). Karam finished the session in second place in his #24 Chevrolet, while Patrick finished the session in third in her #13 Chevrolet after turning her first laps at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in an IndyCar since the 2011 Indy 500.
Here are the practice results from the first test session, the Rookie Orientation Program, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
| Rank | Driver | Car, Team, Engine |
| 1 | Robert Wickens | #5, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda |
| 2 | Matheus Leist | #14, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet |
| 3 | Kyle Kaiser | #32, Juncos Racing, Chevrolet |
| 4 | Robert Wickens | #6, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda |
Here are the practice results from the second test session, the veteran refresher test, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
| Rank | Driver | Car, Team, Engine |
| 1 | Jay Howard | #5, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda |
| 2 | Sage Karam | #24, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Chevrolet |
| 3 | Danica Patrick | #13, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet |
Here are the combined practice results from both test sessions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
| Rank | Driver | Car, Team, Engine |
| 1 | Robert Wickens | #5, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda |
| 2 | Matheus Leist | #14, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet |
| 3 | Jay Howard | #5, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda |
| 4 | Kyle Kaiser | #32, Juncos Racing, Chevrolet |
| 5 | Sage Karam | #24, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Chevrolet |
| 6 | Danica Patrick | #13, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet |
| 7 | Robert Wickens | #6, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda |
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There are set to be private manufacturer test sessions at the track for Chevrolet and Honda tomorrow. Other than that, testing on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval is in the books prior to the start of practice for the Indy 500 itself on Monday, May 14 following the IndyCar Grand Prix at the track’s road course. That race is set to take place next Saturday, May 12.