INDIANAPOLIS -- Former winner Tony Kanaan, racing this season for icon AJ Foyt, announced himself as a contender for Sunday's 102nd Indianapolis 500 with a final practice top speed of 227.791 on Carb Day.
"I think this is the closest we're going to get in terms of weather preparing for Sunday,'' Kanaan said. "Now the fun part begins -- dinner tonight, parade tomorrow, then go time."
Behind him was another former Indy 500 winner, Scott Dixon at 225.648 mph.
But that speed is arguably of no issue because the anticipated 90 degrees and high humidity for the race are conditions no driver has had to deal with.
"It's concerning, but nobody knows,'' Kanaan said. "We're going to have to do a lot of work in the car. It's uncomfortable, but I like that."
The traditional final hour of practice was uneventful Friday in terms of drivers hitting the wall. And while many drivers said they wanted to practice racing in traffic, there were very few clusters of four, five or six cars together throughout the hour.
Still, at least one sentimental favorite did have her troubles.
Among the notes from the one-hour session was just 15 laps delivered by Danica Patrick as she had engine issues that kept her in the pits much of the session, then back to the garage before returning for the final minutes of the session.
"When we went out, it felt worse,'' Patrick said. "Electrical issues. The good thing is, it happend today and not Sunday."
Even with the limited track time, Patrick finished eighth on the speed chart at 223.653 mph. This is the last race for Patrick in her racing career.
One driver who showed modest improvement on his efforts of earlier this month was Columbus, Ohio native Graham Rahal. He was 21st fastest in the last practice at 222.526 mph.
"If you haven't figured it out by today, you're in trouble,'' Kanaan said.
In the pits: The annual pit stop contest was loaded with surprises, including the fact none of Roger Penske's team -- always the favorites in this event -- advanced beyond the semifinals.
The best-of-three shootout was between James Hinchcliffe and Scott Dixon. For Hinchcliffe, it was a chance to redeem himself after being bumped from the 33-car field on Bump Day. He was expected to make the field, easily, but after he waved off an earlier speed, he was caught in line when the final gun sounded and unable to make a final attempt.
However Dixon, the former Indy winner, won two of the three shots including the final from the slow lane with the fastest stop of the day at 11.943 seconds. The victory was worth a $50,000 payday for the team.
"It is a lot of pressure, but give credit to the team,'' Dixon said after the triumph.