Before rain cut test running short, the 2021 NASCAR Cup champion completed 47 laps – with 43 logged in the morning’s two-hour session – around the 2.5-mile superspeedway for the Arrow McLaren team.
He set a best lap of 226.384 mph to vault into second behind only pace-setter Josef Newgarden (Team Penske).
“It was a good day,” said Larson, who is attempting ‘The Double’ by running the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day Weekend.
“We didn't get a ton of laps or at least laps in a pack or anything like that, but it was still good for the amount that I got in something, just to visually kind of see what that looked like and feel the runs and all of that.
“For what I needed to learn and check off my list, I thought it was a successful day, and hopefully the weather could get better for tomorrow and check some more things off.”
Since Larson completed the Rookie Orientation Programme at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last October, he was free to immediately participate with learning the nuances of traffic.
He said his initial impressions of dirty air were that “it doesn't feel that bad” as he could continue to run unhindered in traffic, but he revealed that feeling changed as his tyres began to fade.
Larson explained that he “totally lost the nose” after being passed by Newgarden, which he described as a“pretty crazy kind of feeling”.
“But I think I could have done a better job, as well, when he passed me timing the air and the run and all that,” he added.
Source: Autosport