INDIANAPOLIS — The first day of Indianapolis 500 qualifying was rained out, race organizers announced Saturday.
It’s the first time since 2008 a full day of qualifying for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” was lost because of weather. The decision prompted some significant schedule changes for Sunday.
A short practice, held in two groups, will begin at 9:30 a.m. local time for each driver trying to make the traditional 33-car starting grid. The four-lap qualifying runs will begin at noon.
However, the plan to hold a series of elimination rounds between the 15 fastest cars has been scrapped, and organizers will now revert back to the 12-car format used in recent years, starting at 4 p.m. The top six cars advance to the final round, which determines the pole position winner for the May 24 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
That will likely force teams to continue holding strategy sessions overnight, something that almost undoubtedly began during a nearly six-hour wait to see if they could get cars onto the Brickyard’s 2.5-mile oval.