On Tuesday, the drivers vying for one of 33 spots in the second Open-Wheels 500-mile Race took to the virtual Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the second day of practice. When all was said and done, Marco Brasil led the way as the TENT FACTORY SIMRACING driver posted a best lap of 38.477 (233.906 miles per hour) on the 2.5-mile oval in his Chevrolet-powered entry.
In second, the Dare Devil Brewing JHR Honda of Ryan Schuld ended the session just .078 of a second behind Brasil, with Jesper Ohrman of 3-Crowns Racing also breaking the 233 mile per hour mark.
“Practice for (teammate) Hunter Smith and I was solid today,” Schuld remarked afterward.
“This is our first go around trying to make the show, and we’re 100% focused on qualifying trim. We’re happy with our progress and have a few busy days ahead. I decided to find a big tow lap like Marco Andretti always does at Indy and it”s always fun to see yourself at the top of the leaderboard.”
After finishing Sunday’s opening practice in fourth, AJ Musselman of Turn 4 Racing equaled that mark in Tuesday’s practice while North Sim Racing’s Cesare Manzato filled out the top five.
PHOTOS FROM TUESDAY PRACTICE AT THE OPEN-WHEELS 500
“It was another great day for the #53 AJM Consulting/AJMusselman.com Chevy powered by Dallara,” Musselman remarked afterward.
“We decided to save the equipment and have minimal track time today after a very productive Opening Day this past weekend. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about this weekend – I’m totally on edge and currently trying to balance how much I’m willing to push it for the extra tenth vs. crash and break the car. Tune in this weekend for what I’m sure will be a drama-filled event.”
Like Musselman, Manzato also was quick to emphasize the importance of qualifying weekend.
“There are more than two tenths between me and Tim Doyle in a four-laps average,” he noted.
“So, I don’t think I have much chance of getting into the top 33. Anyway, as a result of this event of a good IndyCar team was born in North Sim Racing and I’m happy about that, so thanks for this!”
Between Brasil and Adam Blocker in 43rd on the practice two chart, the margin was 2.374 seconds, with the top 16 drivers clocking a best lap in excess of 230 miles per hour. Between the top 39 times, the overall margin was 0.996 of a second – continuing to set the stage for a thrilling conclusion to this week’s action and qualifying weekend.
Up Next
Thursday and Friday will see practice run from 1:00 to 9:00 PM Eastern each day before two days of qualifying on Saturday and Sunday. On November 15, the 200-lap race will begin at 11:45 a.m. Eastern.
For a full schedule of events, click here.
On Thursday, RaceSpot TV will produce a live, one-hour Qualifications Draw Special where drivers will learn of their position in the initial qualifications order that kicks off Saturday’s Pole Day runs. That show will begin at 8:00 PM Eastern on RaceSpot TV’s YouTube page.
The first week all builds into Pole Day on Saturday, November 7. The first run of the day will roll off at approximately 6:10 AM Eastern, and qualifications attempts will be made live throughout the day on Open-Wheels.com/TV (until 5:00 PM) as well as RaceSpot TV (from 5:00 to 5:50 PM).
The Pit Lane Parley Pole Award winner will be crowned at the end of the day on Saturday while the rest of the field sweats their way through one more day of qualifications.
Sunday, November 8 will bring Bump Day – the final 12 hours of first-come, first-served qualifications which will end with the field of 33 drivers being set.
The fastest 33 make the show, and again, final hour coverage of Bump Day will be shown live on RaceSpot TV (beginning at 5:00 PM ET) while the rest of day two qualifications can be found at Open-Wheels.com/TV (6:00 AM to 5:00 PM).
With qualifications out of the day, drivers will practice again from 1:00 to 9:00 PM on Tuesday (November 10) and Thursday (November 12) before hitting the track for the final time on Saturday, November 14 at 12:30 PM on Open-Wheels.com/TV.
Race day for the 2020 Open-Wheels 500 presented by Mitchell Transmissions is Sunday, November 15. The Today at the 500 Pre-Race Show will begin at 9:00 AM Eastern (live on Open-Wheels.com/TV) which will carry all of the traditional ceremonies – such as Taps, the National Anthem, Back Home Again in Indiana, and more!
Following the pre-race show is the live, worldwide broadcast of the second annual Open-Wheels 500 on RaceSpot TV – their coverage beginning at 11:30 AM Eastern with a scheduled green flag of 11:45 AM.
Stay tuned to Open-Wheels.com for in-depth coverage of the 2020 Open-Wheels 500 presented by Mitchell Transmissions, as well as our social media channels for the latest news and updates on this year’s ‘500’.
