Verizon IndyCar Series teams were forced to adjust their preparations for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 following cancellation of practice today because of rain.
The official call to end the day came with no laps turned and the track still wet from lingering light rain. It was the first Indianapolis 500 practice day to be completely washed out since May 18, 2011.
Three full days of practice remain before qualifying to set the 33-car field for the historic race.
Teams will use those remaining hours of track time to the fullest to be ready for the two days of qualifying this weekend. Some, according to 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan, will feel compelled to squeeze more track activity in since today’s time was lost.
“For sure, you’ll see that tomorrow,” said Kanaan, driver for Chip Ganassi Racing Teams. “People will be out there a lot more. You saw all 33 cars on the track yesterday, which was remarkably surprising, to be honest. I think it will speed up things.
“We can do more work tomorrow as long as the weather is better for the next few days – and it looks like it is. It’s just boring to sit and look at the track and not do anything.”
Larry Foyt, team president at AJ Foyt Racing, called the washout “a bummer” but said his team would adjust accordingly. “We all want track time, but you can’t do anything about the weather.”
