First day of Indy 500 qualifying gets rained out, sets up an altered format for Sunday
There was a lot of build-up and excitement in Saturday’s first day of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500, but the weather had other plans.
Now, the elimination procedure, which has been slightly changed compared to previous years, is being changed again.
Before the cars could get on the road, rain fell on the Indianapolis area. In the afternoon, IndyCar made the decision to cancel day one and hold all qualifying on Sunday.
Of course, packing in two days of qualifying comes with some compromises.
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On the first day of the run, the order had to be adjusted for starting positions 16 to 33. Meanwhile, the top 15 cars would move on to Sunday, with the fastest nine automatically entering the top 12 round, while cars in positions 10 through 15 would run again to round out the top 12.
Storms caused Indycar to cancel the first day of qualifying for the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500. (© Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
From there, the top six finishers would move on to the Firestone Fast Six and compete for pole position.
This is no longer the case.
Now the top 15 plan is out the window and it will revert to the normal top 12 and then Fast Six format.
This is very sad because I was looking forward to this format. Of course, that was within the realm of possibility because no one in a 33-car field is going to get hit, eliminating some of the best drama of the weekend.
However, this situation creates drama from another angle.
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Each rider now has just one run to place in the top 12 instead of multiple, meaning the pressure is on.
Last year’s pole position winner was Robert Swartzman (who wasn’t in IndyCar this year), but this change benefits Indy 500 veterans.
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Crew members walk through the rainy pit lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday. (© Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK, via Imagn Images)
So now, full-field qualifying will begin at noon ET on FS2 with Scott Dixon leading the way thanks to Friday’s draw.
From there, the Top 12 and Firestone Fast Six will take place on Fox starting at 4pm ET.
