Dixon tops final Indy 500 practice, McLaughlin in top ten

A confident Scott Dixon stepped out of his Chip Ganassi Honda with nearly an hour left in the final Indy 500 practice session after surging to the fastest lap.

The Kiwi will start on pole for this year’s 500-mile race and has been the undisputed favourite for victory since the first practice a fortnight ago.

Dubbed ‘Carb Day’, the final practice session is typically the last indicator of where each driver lies in the pecking order.

Despite rain delaying the start of the day, Dixon managed a 228.323 mph (367.450 kph) lap to blast to the top of the order.

The winner of the 2008 Indy 500 then returned to the pits with 50 minutes on the clock, stepped out of his car and told broadcasters he and the team were done for the day.

It was a powerful statement to the rest of the field that the Kiwi is the one to chase come Monday’s race.

Team Penske have struggled to unlock performance at the Brickyard over the past two weeks.

However, Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden finished the day second and third fastest.

Conor Daly was battling a misbehaving car for the first half of the day but did manage to set a time that would put him fourth fastest.

A late lap from Marco Andretti put him fifth fastest despite electrical issues upsetting the start of his day.

Will Power and Scott McLaughlin ended a competitive day for Team Penske in sixth and seventh.

McLaughlin’s best lap was 226.192 mph (364.020 kph).

The New Zealander will start his maiden Indy 500 race from 17th.

The Indy 500 will start at 4.20 am May 31 (NZT).