Weather concerns dominate build-up to Indy 500

May 24—INIDIANAPOLIS — All eyes will be on the skies Sunday, leading up to the scheduled start of the Indianapolis 500.

There is potential for severe weather throughout the day, presenting a myriad of concerns for all 33 race teams as well as IndyCar officials.

But Kyle Larson might be sweating the most.

The current NASCAR Cup Series points leader is the first driver to attempt the Indy 500/Coca-Cola 600 single-day double since Kurt Busch in 2014. But he's on a tight schedule to make the second race in Concord, North Carolina.

Even if conditions were perfect, there's a very small margin for error to be on time to start both races, let alone complete all 1,100 miles — a feat accomplished only by Indiana native Tony Stewart in 2001.

And the weather forecast as it currently stands is anything but perfect.

"At this point, just hoping the weather cooperates to get all 1,100 miles in," Larson said after Friday's final practice on Carb Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "But, yeah, it's been something I've looked forward to for close to two years probably at this point now. Yeah, it's just getting closer to go time and (I) have just enjoyed the experience and enjoyed working with Arrow McLaren.

"They've made the transition to IndyCars for a couple weeks pretty easy. Yeah, (I) just had a good time and now look forward to the race."

Larson is competing as part of a unique partnership between his NASCAR team — Hendrick Motorsports — and the Arrow McLaren group.

He qualified fifth on the starting grid and has been among the fastest drivers throughout the month of May.

It's in line with an overall trend of Chevrolet engines consistently sitting atop the speed charts.

Team Penske swept the front row — with Scott McLaughlin taking the pole after a record four-lap average speed of 234.220 mph — and Chevy-powered cars took the top eight spots on the grid.

Former Indy 500 champion Scott Dixon will start on the outside of Row 7 after qualifying 21st in his Honda-powered entry for Chip Ganassi Racing.

But he was the fastest driver during the Carb Day practice session, and Andretti Global's Colton Herta — who qualified 13th — paced the field in the initial practice after qualifying Monday.

To some, that suggests Honda has narrowed the gap in race trim.

Though, Dixon isn't ready to go that far yet.

"It's kind of hard to tell in race trim, to be honest," he said. "I'd say it seems more level, but (the Chevy drivers) still seem to pull off and come back from fairly far back. It will be interesting to see how it is in the race. Obviously, I'm sure nobody was stressing the engine too much in that session, as well.

"Many a times the fastest car doesn't win, so you've got to try and tick all the boxes, make sure you're covering everything and see what the last sort of 20 or 40 laps give you and go from there. But I think we're in with a shot, and that's all you need."

That sentiment is shared by 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi.

Rossi qualified fourth, and the Arrow McLaren cars have been nipping at Penske's heels throughout the month.

Rossi said "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" is like no other event on the IndyCar schedule, but drivers must not vary too far from their normal race day routine.

"I think it's just about execution over 500 miles," he said. "It is the biggest race that we do, the most eyeballs on it, but it's also just the fifth round (in the season schedule), right? And you have to approach it the same way when the green flag drops.

"It's the same sort of thing we do every single weekend. It's going to be about a whole team effort to make sure that we're in a viable position and the car is in the right spot come from the final stint."

Nobody can predict how the race will play out on or off the track.

The last time the Indy 500 was shortened was in 2007, when Dario Franchitti won under caution on Lap 166 — 34 circuits shy of the full distance.

The race hasn't been completed on a Monday since 1966 — the 50th running of the event — and it hasn't been postponed because of rain since 1997.

Arie Luyendyk won his second Borg-Warner Trophy that year on a Tuesday after rain pushed back the scheduled Sunday start and only 15 laps were completed before weather again intervened Monday.

Like his 32 competitors, McLaughlin can't control any of those factors.

But he has handled the month at IMS superbly so far.

He got qualifying guidance from a secret mentor later revealed to be former Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud, and his paint scheme honors four-time Indy 500 champion Rick Mears.

The stars have aligned for the No. 3 car, but in many ways the real work is just about to begin.

"I guess it has been a pretty whirlwind week," McLaughlin said. "Being fastest here for qualifying, obviously it's the first box you want to tick, but ultimately you want to win on Sunday.

"But it's still been a really cool week, and I've really enjoyed it. I've really tried to soak it in as much as I can, but at the end of the day, the job is this weekend."