The first day of Indy 500 practice was scheduled to take place on Tuesday, but inclement weather forced those plans to be put on hold.
Though the rain never came down too hard in Speedway, Indiana, it persisted long enough to keep the track wet for the entirety of the day.
Ambient temperatures near 60°F and light winds did not help the surface to dry any quicker either.
At one point in the early afternoon, the jet dryer trucks were able to clear the track of nearly all the moisture that had built up, and cars were even called to pit lane.
But just as drivers were about to climb into their cockpits, larger raindrops began to fall and forced everyone to retreat to their garage structures once again.
Drivers spent their free time signing autographs for dedicated fans, conducting a few interviews with media that was onsite, and joking around with each other in the paddock.
The original schedule called for two hours of track time dedicated to veterans, followed by two hours set aside for Indy 500 rookies and those drivers that are not part of the full season schedule who need a quick refresher.
A few hours in the afternoon were set aside for a full field practice, when all 34 drivers would have been allowed to tackle the 2.5-mile oval at the same time.
With the entirety of the day’s action called off, Wednesday’s schedule was adjusted to allow for the rookie session to be added in the morning.
The remainder of the day is still scheduled to host six hours of on track running for all cars, and will serve as the first true practice session of the year.
The weather will clear out overnight, and there are not any interruptions forecast for the next couple days.
Wednesday’s rookie session is scheduled for 10:15 AM Eastern, and the fully open session when all cars can run is set for noon.
