For the second consecutive yr, the beginning of the 109th working of the Indianapolis 500 has been delayed resulting from gentle rain across the monitor. It was initially scheduled to start out a 12:45pm EST, however sprinkles pressured IMS officers to pause the motion, putting the command to start out engines on maintain. The remainder of the pre-race ceremonies have already taken place. There have been overcast circumstances all morning however there must be no hassle getting everything of the race in immediately.
UPDATE: The command to start out engines lastly got here at 1:21pm EST with Roger Penske saying the well-known phrases.
Any delay like this might severely jeopardize Kyle Larson’s try and efficiently full the Indy 500/Coke 600 Double, working all 1,100 miles on the identical day. Solely 4 drivers have ever ran each races on the identical day and solely — Tony Stewart — has managed to finish 1,100 miles. He has a really small window (about 45 minutes of delays) that can permit him to each run the five hundred and nonetheless make it to Charlotte in time for the NASCAR race. Driver introductions are set to start at 5:25pm EST. with the race starting at 6pm EST.
Larson’s 2024 try at ‘The Double’ was derailed by climate as effectively with rain delaying the beginning of the Indy 500. He missed the beginning of the Coca-Cola 600 and identical climate system arrived at Charlotte mid-race, ending the occasion early simply as Larson arrived. This yr, he has to start out the Coke 600 or danger forfeiting all of his playoff factors resulting from an up to date playoff waiver coverage carried out by NASCAR.
2013 Indy 500 winner and Arrow McLaren staff principal Tony Kanaan is on standby for Larson at Indianapolis, ought to he have to get behind the wheel of the No. 17 Chevrolet. Kanaan instructed IndyCar on FOX that Larson has to go away the monitor between 4pm and 4:30pm EST on the newest.
When the 2025 Indy 500 does get underway, rookie Robert Shwartzman will lead the sphere to the inexperienced flag within the No. 83 Prema Racing Chevrolet. He’ll share the entrance row with Takuma Sato and Pato O’Ward.
The race has solely been utterly postponed to Monday thrice in its historical past and that hasn’t occurred since 1997. The occasion hasn’t been rain-shortened since 2007, which has occurred a complete of seven occasions. Nevertheless, present scenario is unlikely to end in a full postponement or a rain-shortened race.
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