Key keywords: Josef Newgarden, Indianapolis 500, Miller Lite Carb Day, final 500 practice, IndyCar Series, Team Penske, pit stop challenge, Indy 500 pole position The final pre-race practice session for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500, held annually on Miller Lite Carb Day, saw two-time defending race winner Josef Newgarden once again climb to the top of the speed charts, cementing his status as the clear favorite for Sunday’s iconic open-wheel race. The two-hour session, which marks the last opportunity for teams to tune their cars on the 2.5-mile oval before race day, saw Newgarden post a fastest lap of 227.683 mph in his No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, edging out six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing by just 0.24 seconds. Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren rounded out the top three with a lap speed of 227.119 mph, followed by Colton Herta of Andretti Global and Alex Palou, Dixon’s Ganassi teammate, in fourth and fifth respectively. Carb Day, named for the traditional pre-race carburetor tuning sessions held in the early decades of the Indy 500, has evolved into one of the biggest event weekends at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, drawing more than 100,000 fans annually for the final practice, the annual IndyCar Pit Stop Challenge, and a post-session headline concert. This year’s Pit Stop Challenge saw Team Penske take home the $50,000 grand prize, with Newgarden’s crew completing a four-tire stop in just 10.2 seconds to defeat Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 9 crew in the final round. Newgarden, who claimed the pole position for the 2024 Indy 500 during time trials last weekend, told reporters after the practice session that his team had executed a perfect final tune, with no mechanical issues or handling concerns popping up during the session. “We knew coming into today that we just needed to make small adjustments to account for the higher track temperatures we’re expecting on race day, and the car felt great right out of the trailer,” Newgarden said. “We’ve put in so much work over the last month to get to this point, and I feel really confident heading into Sunday. We know there are a lot of fast cars behind us, but we’re ready to fight for that third straight win.” Dixon, who finished second in the 2023 Indy 500 behind Newgarden, noted that his team had made significant progress during the Carb Day session, fixing a handling issue that had slowed him during earlier practice runs. “We struggled a bit with understeer in the first 30 minutes, but the crew made some great adjustments to the aero package and tire pressure, and by the end of the session we were right there with Josef,” Dixon said. “It’s going to be a tight race all day on Sunday, and we’re ready to push for the win that narrowly escaped us last year.”