INDIANAPOLIS, May 13 (UPI) -- Rain shortened Thursday's practice session for the Indianapolis 500 to three hours, but it did not slow Helio Castroneves.
The two-time Indy 500 winner and defending pole winner was the fastest driver with a lap of 221.156 miles per hour in a Dallara/Toyota.
He turned it in the final hour of practice, which concluded seven minutes early following a crash by Scott Sharp.
Sharp was uninjured after making contact with the wall and will return Friday.
"On my second lap by, I just drive it in there and, bam, it just snapped and I went sideways," Sharp said. "I don't even know what happened."
More rain was forecast for Friday, which means teams had to find speed Thursday before the four-lap run for the pole on Saturday.
Castroneves' lap was the fastest of the day, but not the fastest in the first five days of practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Tony Kanaan turned that Wednesday with a mark of 221.953 mph in a Dallara/Honda.
