Rain forecast threatens to push back May 16 Indianapolis 500 qualifying

Rain in the forecast for Saturday, May 16 is threatening to disrupt the opening day of Indianapolis 500 qualifying at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Speedway’s published event schedule still lists qualifying for May 16-17, while the National Weather Service forecast for the Speedway area calls for a chance of showers between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday. IndyStar reported on Thursday that officials were warning the weather could affect the first session. The race itself remains scheduled for Sunday, May 24. ### What does the Saturday forecast currently show for the Speedway? The National Weather Service forecast for the Speedway area on Saturday calls for “a chance of showers between 9am and 3pm,” with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 71 degrees. The forecast lists a 40% chance of precipitation and south winds of 5 to 10 mph, with gusts up to 18 mph. Thursday’s local forecast update from the Indianapolis office of the National Weather Service showed the agency was monitoring storms moving across Indiana, and its Indianapolis forecast pages were updated on May 14. IndyStar said the forecast had turned concern toward qualifying after several mostly sunny practice days this week. ### How is qualifying weekend supposed to work if the weather cooperates? (forecast.weather.gov) Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s schedule lists PPG Armed Forces Qualifying on Saturday, May 16 as the first day of time trials for the Indianapolis 500 field. The Speedway says the two-day qualifying program on May 16-17 determines the starting lineup for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” (weather.gov) Sunday, May 17 is scheduled to include three separate sessions: the fight for the final three starting positions in the 33-car field, Top 12 Qualifying and the Firestone Fast Six that sets the first four rows. Indianapolis Motor Speedway says the Sunday schedule is subject to change. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) INDYCAR and IMS said this week that the qualifying procedure for the 110th Indianapolis 500 was expanded, adding another Sunday round to set the Top 12. The same announcement said a practice session for the Indianapolis 500 field is scheduled for 1-3 p.m. on Monday, May 18. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) ### Why does rain matter so much for Indy 500 qualifying? Four-lap qualifying runs at Indianapolis are completed at more than 230 mph, according to the Speedway’s event page for May 16. The Speedway’s description of qualifying calls it “four intense laps” over 10 miles and 16 corners, underscoring why track conditions are central to whether cars can run. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) Rain already has affected track activity at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this month. IndyStar reported that another INDYCAR qualifying session at IMS was postponed by rain on May 8 and moved to Saturday morning. ### Has anything about race day changed? (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) The 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 remains scheduled for Sunday, May 24 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. INDYCAR’s event page lists the race window as May 12-24 in Indianapolis, with race-day coverage beginning at 10 a.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX One. The Speedway’s season schedule also continues to list May 24 as Race Day and May 23 as Legends Day, with Carb Day set for May 22. (indystar.com) No official schedule change for the race had been posted on the Speedway site in the material reviewed. ### Where would any delay or revision show up first? Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s official event schedule pages for May 16 and May 17 carry the current qualifying plans, and the Speedway’s news page has been posting Indianapolis 500 updates throughout race month. (indycar.com) INDYCAR’s main Indianapolis 500 event page and radio schedule also list the weekend timetable and broadcast windows. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) Monday, May 18 is the next listed on-track session after qualifying weekend, with Indianapolis 500 practice scheduled from 1-3 p.m., according to IMS and INDYCAR. Sunday, May 24 remains the date for the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com 1) (indianapolismotorspeedway.com 2)