Dixon Paces Honda on Windy Wednesday as Indianapolis 500 Practice Continues

Dixon Paces Honda on Windy Wednesday as Indianapolis 500 Practice Continues
• Scott Dixon goes second-fastest on warm, windy day of practice
• Fernando Alonso completes day fourth fastest
• Third of five practice days prior to Indianapolis 500 qualifying

SPEEDWAY, Ind., (May 17, 2017) – With wind gusts at times exceeding 25 mph, many of this year’s 33 Indianapolis 500 competitors elected to remain in the garage area, or complete other race preparations – such as pit stops – in lieu of on-track practice Wednesday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Honda’s Scott Dixon posted the second-fastest time of the 14 drivers making practice runs today, with the fastest speeds of the day some four miles an hour slower than those recorded earlier in the week.

Two-time Formula One World Champion and McLaren Honda driver Fernando Alonso was next on Honda’s Wednesday speed chart, recording the fourth-fastest lap in his McLaren Honda-Andretti Honda entry. Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Max Chilton, continued his run of quick practice results at Indy with the sixth-fastest speed of the day.

Practice activities continue through Friday, with qualifying action to set the field of 33 on the historic 2.5-mile oval scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

Scott Dixon (#9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) second fastest Wednesday in practice: “I think it was just really hard to be consistent out there with these windy conditions. When the gusts are around 25 mph that makes it tough to navigate in the turns. But we’re still learning. There’s a lot that we still need to get through and you have to remember that [Honda is] a new car for us this year. There are still a lot of aerodynamic items we’re working on, and learning from.”