Day 1 of Indianapolis 500 practice is rained out after just 23 minutes

INDIANAPOLIS – Fans lined up outside the gates of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway anxiously awaiting the 9 a.m. start time for the first practice of 2024 Indianapolis 500 season. Excitement was in the air, some from May 11’s Sonsio Grand Prix and some new energy surrounding the biggest race on the IndyCar calendar. Sure, the weather forecast called for rain, and it was certainly cloudy with some occasional mist, but drivers, crew and fans alike were all ready to go.

Right on cue, more than 10 drivers shot out of their pits to officially begin practice. 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon led the way as the legendary Mario Andretti’s grandson, Marco, and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato, of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, trailed just behind.

Thirteen laps was the most any driver completed, however, as the yellow flag waved just 23 minutes into practice time. Cars never took the wet, oval track again, as the highly-anticipated Day 1 was cut drastically short.

Dixon, representing Chip Ganassi Racing, reached a top speed of 229.107 miles per hour and completed nine laps. Marco Andretti, representing Andretti Global, completed three more laps than Dixon but trailed by 0.1218 seconds after posting a top speed of 228.399 miles per hour.

Will Power of Team Penske was one of the last people to leave the track once the rain began to fall, laying on his back with his hands behind his head on the guardrail separating the pit lane from the outside. But that wasn’t his choice, as he said his engineers wanted to stay on the track as long as possible in case the forecast dried up and the yellow flag was lifted.

“It’s gotta settle in, it’s gotta get hot and the wings gotta settle,” Power said. “We had an issue with our tire pressure sensors at the beginning and we couldn’t go, so we waited hoping there might be a little spell.”

Yet Power was one of very few drivers who was not frustrated with the weather, as the extra day off provided another 24 hours to conserve miles due to an engine issue that arose at the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix April 28.

“This puts us back, almost, on par with everyone else,” Power said.

2023 Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden of Team Penske felt his performance at last weekend’s Sonsio Grand Prix was “disastrous,” citing a lack of speed as the biggest issue with his 17th place finish. Amidst the controversy surrounding Team Penske and Newgarden’s disqualification from the first race of the season due to a push-to-pass violation, the Tennessee native said he has remained in a good headspace heading into the world’s biggest race.

Newgarden agreed with 2016 winner and his Team Penske teammate Power, saying he must have a perfect race May 26 in order to win his second Indianapolis 500 in a row.

“It took me 12 attempts, and you needed a perfect day to win it last year,” Newgarden said. “I think we finally got that formula right.”

Like Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin was also disqualified from the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg for the same violation after finishing in second place behind his teammate. However, he has since bounced back by climbing into sixth place in the IndyCar Series standings, most notably winning at Barber in late April.

McLaughlin, representing Team Penske, said his preparation for the upcoming Indianapolis 500 has been the most intense of his career. He said he has been not only going through intensive tape study of past races, but is taking factors such as wind conditions, setup changes, down force levels and more into consideration.

“You've got to have a level of intensity, but not too much that it disrupts your learning or disrupts how you attack (the race),” McLaughlin said.

While this is already the 30-year-old’s fourth time competing in the biggest race on the IndyCar calendar, the New Zealand native said he still approaches the Indianapolis 500 with fresh eyes.

“There’s nothing like it,” McLaughlin said. “It’s an incredible race track and it’s an incredible race month…. I love living in the bus. I know a lot of people leave during the week, so I sort of stay around, walk the dogs around here and we do our thing.”

When McLaughlin made his Indianapolis 500 debut in 2021, the stands were only filled to half capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions. He wondered what IMS would look like with more than 300,000 people in attendance, and when he finally experienced the full atmosphere of race day in 2023, he remembers the moment the enormity of the Indianapolis 500 fully dawned on him.

“When you turn off Turn 2 and look up to turn th, the color after not seeing any color for a month is incredible,” McLaughlin said. “That’s probably the first time where you’re like, ‘Oh wow,’ then you lock back in.”

Day two of Indianapolis 500 practice is set to begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 15. Practice will continue until 6 p.m. with no breaks in action.

Contact Kyle Smedley with comments via email at kmsmedley213@gmail.com or on X @KyleSmedley_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Day 1 of Indianapolis 500 practice is rained out after just 23 minutes