Indianapolis – Frustration is mounting at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Drivers and fans will have to wait another week for qualifying.
Rain, which has cut short or canceled every practice session since the track opened for Indy 500 practice last Tuesday, held off just long enough Sunday to give everyone a little taste of what they’re missing.
Defending Indy champion Dan Wheldon and Sam Hornish Jr. managed to post speeds above 228 mph – the fastest so far this month – during a brief practice session that was supposed to be only a warm-up for the start of qualifications for the May 28 race.
Two-time Indy winner Helio Castroneves, Hornish’s teammate, and Scott Dixon, Wheldon’s teammate, added laps over 227 as 24 drivers took advantage of the short dry spell and nearly perfect track conditions – overcast skies, no wind and temperatures in the low 50s – to get in some practice laps in anticipation of qualifying.
But then the rain returned, wiping out time trials for the second consecutive day and prompting track officials to reschedule qualifying to Saturday and Sunday, which were supposed to be the last of four days of time trials.
Brian Barnhart, president of the Indy Racing League, said officials had considered trying to qualify at least part of the 33-car field today or Tuesday, with no on-track activity scheduled for those days. But Barnhart said that with more rain in the forecast, many fans unable to return because of work and other obligations, it was decided to continue with the original schedule.
That includes practice Wednesday through Friday.
All of the top teams ran the first week with hopes of qualifying on the opening weekend and spending a couple of days this week setting up their cars for the race. Several of the other teams, with smaller budgets and less equipment, will begin preparations Wednesday. That’s likely to make for a crowded track.
“It puts a little burden on (the teams) now because they have to kind of mix and balance full-tank runs and race preparation with qualifying preparation because you will be jockeying for all 33 spots,” Barnhart said. “They’ll have to keep an eye on the weather forecast, too. It just adds another dimension to it that will just make it more challenging for them.”
Hornish had been the fastest driver each day since practice began, topping out at 226.789 mph as part of a four-lap simulated qualifying run Thursday, the last time the drivers had been on track until Sunday.
But Wheldon jumped to the top with a lap of 228.663 in Sunday’s short session. Hornish stayed close behind at 228.220, followed by his Marlboro Team Penske teammate Castroneves at 227.888 and Wheldon’s Target Chip Ganassi teammate Dixon at 227.274.
Andretti Green Racing teammates Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan, last year’s pole- winner, were next at 226.960 and 226.389.
