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Colton Herta Paces Fast Friday at Indianapolis, Nolan Siegel Flips on Backstraight

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Colton Herta Paces Fast Friday at Indianapolis, Nolan Siegel Flips on Backstraight


SPEEDWAY, Ind. — With the turbocharger boost increased to qualifying levels, Colton Herta was the quickest car on Fast Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ahead of the 108th Indianapolis 500.

The No. 26 Andretti Global Honda set a fastest lap of 234.974 mph. That lap was tow-assisted. On the non-tow speed chart, Herta was 10th fastest at 233.084 mph.

IndyCar defines a lap to be assisted by a car disturbing the air in front of them with a tow if a lap is completed within 10 seconds of another car on track.

“Seemed to be lacking a little bit of speed I think on our own,” Herta said. “Obviously the fast lap was a tow lap. Nice to be quickest, but doesn’t really mean much for qualifying. I think we have a little bit of speed to find, unfortunately, but I think there’s a chance if we do everything right, we should be able to make the Fast 12.”

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NASCAR Cup Series racer Kyle Larson was second fastest in his No. 17 Arrow McLaren/Hendrick Chevrolet with a tow-assisted lap of 234.271 mph. Larson was 15th fastest on the non-tow chart at 232.695 mph.

“Today went a lot smoother,” Larson said. “Just more so as planned. Where yesterday did not. I thought with the weather being — the forecast being good, I would get lots of laps, but did not. Was pretty frustrated with things yesterday.

“Yeah, it all went smooth and was good to just get some reps with the boost and feeling all that. Yeah, happy with how it all went.”

Larson’s car needed to have the engine changed, which kept the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion in Gasoline Alley for much of the day.

Josef Newgarden was third fastest on the speed chart at 234.260 mph and that lap was the fastest lap on the non-tow speed chart. Newgarden is the defending Indianapolis 500 winner.

“It’s always interesting to see how this shapes up,” Newgarden said. “Friday is one deal, and then tomorrow is going to be where it really comes together and you’re going to see where the field truly stacks up. But I think today is a good indicator, and we feel like we’re in a decent spot. We’re definitely in the mix, which is great to see. We’ve been working the last four years to try and get back into the mix in qualifying.

“Really proud of the team. I think they’ve built fast cars. That’s what happens when you’re quick in qualifying here. It’s about a team effort and building fast cars. It doesn’t matter how good you are. You can’t will the car faster through ability. It is a team effort at Indianapolis.”

Nolan Siegel had the only accident of the day as the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda spun exiting turn 2. The car hit the outside retaining wall and turned upside down, landing on the roll hoop and the left sidepod about halfway down the back straight. Siegel was seen and released from the medical center.

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“I had one snap of oversteer in the middle that I caught and then turned back in and spun and I’m not exactly sure why,” Siegel said. “Disappointed, feel bad for the team that’s been working so hard for so long for this and just kind of threw it away. So not at all happy about that one but we’ll move forward and see if we can get back out and qualify for the race tomorrow.”

After qualifying ended, each Indianapolis 500 entry drew their position in the qualifying order. Entrants were called up one-by-one in the order of their position on the Fast Friday speed chart.

Kyle Kirkwood was the eighth driver to draw a spot in the qualifying order and he drew the first coin, so he will be the first driver to qualify on Saturday.

The qualifying order for the 108th Indianapolis 500:

Following a practice session from 8:30-9:30 a.m. ET, qualifying will begin at 11 a.m. and will go until 5:50 p.m. with the broadcast ending 10 minutes later.

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All on-track sessions will air live on Peacock.


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Indianapolis, IN

New bridge over 96th Street adds to Nickel Plate Trail connections

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New bridge over 96th Street adds to Nickel Plate Trail connections


FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — The Nickel Plate Trail pedestrian bridge over 96th Street is officially open.

It was being touted Friday as a major milestone for central Indiana’s growing trail system. The street is the Fishers-Indianapolis border.

Leaders called the project a critical connection point for the Nickel Plate Trail. The new bridge helps move the nearly 17-mile trail closer to its goal of connecting multiple counties through one continuous path.

The bridge also came with a 1.3-mile trail extension. A $4.5 million grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources made the bridge possible.

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Dale Brier, deputy director of Indiana Department of Natural Resources, talked about the state’s Next Level Trails grant program. “Currently, we have 89 trail projects that that were funded with that money. Fifty-nine of those are complete. We’ve got 12 under construction. As of this opening, we have 167 miles of trail that have now been opened with that grant money.”

People who frequently take the trail for their daily exercises say they’re excited the bridge is finally open.

Alan Errichiello of the Fishers Running Club said, “Extending this down south into Indianapolis is a big game changer for us. It’ll add a lot of miles that we can easily get into.”

Resident Tracy Mundell said, “Trying to get to the other side was nearly impossible, so I think most people didn’t even attempt it. It’s going to be great, we can get over to the other side, and I’m anxious to see what’s over there.”

The final portion of the project, called the Clear Path project, remains under construction.

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Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, a Republican, said, “We need to double-down on that investment, and we know time and time again here in the city of Fishers that trail systems, the ability to get up and get out and get active, is such an important part in our culture of health, that an investment like this is critical.”

Once complete, local leaders say the goal is to provide a more safe and connected routes between Noblesville, Fishers, Indianapolis and other surrounding cities.

Resident Steve Mundell said, “It’s lovely. It’ll be real convenient to get across too.”



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Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

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Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades



What grades did the Indianapolis Colts earn on the 2026 NFLPA report cards?

The NFLPA is no longer able to make their annual report cards public. However, ESPN’s Kayln Kahler was able to obtain a copy of the reports following the 2025 NFL season, and the Indianapolis Colts were again around the middle of the pack.

In these report cards, players rate numerous aspects of the organizations they play for, from ownership to the training facilities and everything in between. According to Kahler, 1,759 players contributed to these grades.

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So, where did the Colts end up this year relative to the rest of the NFL this year?

Overall, the Colts ranked 17th. Below is a breakdown of each individual grade they received.

  • Treatment of Families: B
  • Home Game Field: D
  • Food/Dining Area: B
  • Nutritionist/Dietician: A-
  • Locker Room: C+
  • Training Room: B
  • Training Staff: B+
  • Weight Room: B
  • Strength Coaches: A
  • Position Coaches: B
  • Offensive Coordinator: B
  • Defensive Coordinator: B+
  • Special Teams Coordinator: B+
  • Team Travel: B-
  • Head Coach: A-
  • General Manager: A
  • Team Ownership: A

Of note, although the Colts haven’t been to the postseason in five years, Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard both received high marks.

Carlie Irsay Gordon, Kalen Jackson, and Casey Foyt earned an A in their first year as the primary owners.

The field at Lucas Oil Stadium received a very low mark, earning a D, while the locker room was given a C+. Those were the two lowest grades the Colts received.

Compared to the 2025 rankings, the Colts moved up two spots this year, after coming in at 19th last year.

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The biggest jumps the Colts experienced came in the Food/Dining grade, which went from a C to a B. The Team travel grade also jumped from a D+ to a B-.



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Indianapolis police search for 3 people after shooting, stolen vehicle crash

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Indianapolis police search for 3 people after shooting, stolen vehicle crash


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — After a shooting, Indianapolis police were searching for three people who fled on foot following the pursuit of a stolen vehicle and its crash on Thursday afternoon.

No information was provided in the notification about the three people being sought. News 8 reached out to IMPD by email to find out details about the three people. Anyone with information regarding the incident or the people who fled the crash was asked to contact the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

The stolen vehicle was linked to a Thursday shooting, prompting the lockdown of a nearby child care center, IMPD said in a media notification. No information was provided about where the shooting happened, what may have led to it, or whether anyone was hurt.

IMPD, however, said the stolen vehicle and crash were not related to a shooting reported at 12:35 p.m. Thursday at a gas station and restaurant at West 38th and Meridian streets.

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IMPD officers found the stolen vehicle around 12:45 p.m. Thursday near East 38th Street and Post Road. When a detective attempted a traffic stop, the vehicle fled westbound before crashing a short time later near Whenner Drive, the notification said. It did not say what type of vehicle was abandoned in the crash.

Three people from the crashed vehicle fled southwest on foot. IMPD established a perimeter with assistance from the Indiana State Police, the Lawrence Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office — using specialized resources, including a state police helicopter, a special weapons and tactics team, and the IMPD’s police dogs — but did not find the three people.

IMPD said a firearm was found in the crashed vehicle, and a man detained at the crash scene was later released once investigators determined he was not directly involved in the incident.

Police have since lifted the lockdown on the child care center.

IMPD’s public information office can be reached at 317-327-3424.

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