In the scorching heat at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, teams and drivers made the most out of their final regular practice session before Friday's Carb Day outing. With temperatures climbing towards 90F, the full field of drivers tirelessly tested race-day setups, resulting in an eventful session.

Colton Herta of Andretti Global dominated the first hour of running, clocking an impressive lap of 226.222mph in his No. 26 Honda. However, reigning Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden of Team Penske stole the spotlight in the latter half of the session, edging ahead with a lap speed of 226.238mph in his No. 2 Chevy.

Herta expressed satisfaction with his car, stating, "The car feels very, very nice. I think there's more stuff we can work on, but we're there." Meanwhile, Newgarden showcased his skill and experience, maintaining his lead until the end of the session.

The top positions were tightly contested, with Will Power of Team Penske securing the third spot with a lap speed of 226.137mph. Agustin Canapino of Juncos Hollinger surprised everyone by taking the fourth position with a lap speed of 225.747mph. Pato O'Ward of Arrow McLaren claimed the fifth spot with a speed of 225.738mph, and Christian Rasmussen of Ed Carpenter Racing closed out the top six with a lap speed of 225.718mph.

The only dramatic moment of the day came when Tom Blomqvist performed a hot pit stop but accidentally spun halfway out of his pit box due to excessive throttle application. Luckily, he managed to avoid any collisions and quickly resumed his practice. Despite this mishap, Blomqvist completed an impressive 106 laps (265 miles) and secured the 16th position on the speed chart with a lap speed of 224.600mph.

As the practice session came to an end, teams prepared to dismantle their cars and complete final preparations over the next three days. They will return on Friday for two more hours of running before the much-anticipated Indy 500 race on Sunday, where drivers will compete for 500 miles.

The atmosphere at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is filled with anticipation as the drivers fine-tune their strategies and aim to make their mark in this prestigious event. Racing enthusiasts can't wait to witness the excitement that the Indy 500 will bring on Sunday.