Alexander Rossi left Carb Day at Indianapolis carrying crutches and a steady smile, fresh off minor surgeries to his left hand and right ankle after Monday’s Turn 2 pileup that also collected Pato O’Ward. Rossi, driving for Ed Carpenter Racing, tested a backup No. 20 Chevrolet Friday and reported confidence about his team’s pace as the Indianapolis 500 looms Sunday. The weekend’s action also featured strong showings from Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward and Helio Castroneves as teams finalized setups at the Brickyard.

Rossi said he was riding out the weekend with optimism despite recent surgery and being in a backup car. “I feel fine, it was good,” Rossi said of Friday’s practice. “It was really important that it didn’t rain today for obvious reasons, and the (No.) 20 car did an amazing job to build a car that’s ‌just ​as good as the one we had.

He admitted the place still hits him in the chest every time. “It never gets old. This place ⁠is magical for so many different ⁠reasons. If we can do something pretty cool on Sunday, it’ll be one heck of a story.”

Rossi completed 48 laps on Friday, posting a top speed of 222.291 mph and landing 31st on the speed chart among 33 drivers. Despite the modest practice ranking, he’s slated to start the race in the No. 2 position and insists the team has the car ready. Ed Carpenter Racing concentrated on restoring balance and confidence after the crash earlier in the week.

Pato O’Ward also climbed back into a backup car to dial in his setup after the same Monday incident. “Every car has its little details of how it ⁠likes certain setups and adjustments,” said O’Ward of Mexico. “I think this ⁠one, as much as it was like the other, it wasn’t. It’s a different ​car.

O’Ward emphasized progress across the session, pointing to adjustments that smoothed the car’s behavior. “We’re getting there, we are getting there. (The practice) obviously ended much better than it started, so we’ve found the ​right direction, and I think we’ve got (the car) in the window where we can work ‌with it during the race.” He turned in a top lap of 224.202 mph and ran 58 laps for Arrow McLaren.

Carb Day belonged to Josef Newgarden on raw speed, as the Team Penske driver posted the session’s best time with a 228.342 on lap 11 of his 55 circuits. That raw pace gives Team Penske momentum heading into the field scramble and late-race strategy. Newgarden will have his work cut out for him starting well back in the pack.

Newgarden’s grid slot places him deep in the field, and history shows winning from the eighth row is rare. The last driver to win from such a starting spot was Johnny Rutherford in 1974, a reminder that pace and patience must combine. Newgarden didn’t get carried away by Friday’s numbers and kept his focus on Sunday’s prize.

“It feels OK, feels ‌all right,” Newgarden said plainly about Friday. “But today is Friday. We’ve got ⁠to be good on Sunday. I’m just ready to get to Sunday. Sunday is ​what’s going ‌to matter with the Shell car. Team Chevy has done a great job ​for us this ⁠month, so I’m excited to go racing.”

Helio Castroneves brought veteran calm to the practice, logging 70 laps and finishing 19th with a 224.293 mph top speed. Making his 26th start at the Brickyard at age 51, Castroneves remains a steady presence and a threat every May. “It feels great, this machine looks strong,” Castroneves said. “The guys did a great job.”

Castroneves’ record at Indianapolis reads like a highlight reel: wins in 2001, 2002, 2009 and the memorable return victory in 2021. That experience matters in the unpredictable traffic and strategy chess that defines the Indy 500. Teams and drivers leaned on that kind of institutional knowledge as they prepped cars and pit plans for Sunday.

Across the garage, teams balanced chase for outright speed with long-run durability and pit-stop rehearsals. Carb Day’s running is rarely a full picture of race day, but it’s the last chance to feel the car in traffic and validate tire and fuel choices. Engineers filed notes and drivers left the track with specific tasks for final tune-ups before lights out on Sunday morning.

The field’s spread of speeds on Friday hinted at how tight the margins will be once the green flag drops, with multiple manufacturers and teams showing competitive pockets of pace. Strategy will likely determine the final order as much as pure speed, with pit sequence and caution timing shaping opportunities. Whoever can blend speed, fuel mileage and clean pit stops will carry the advantage into the final laps.

For Rossi, the scene is equal parts recovery and resolve; for O’Ward, iterative fixes and comfort; and for Newgarden and Castroneves, a test of translating speed into racecraft. Indianapolis remains the ultimate measuring stick, and the Brickyard’s unique groove always produces storylines. Teams now head into a short, high-stakes countdown before Sunday’s race.