There was a lot of buildup and excitement going into Saturday’s first day of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500, but the weather had other plans.
Now, the qualifying procedure — which was already slightly altered from previous years — is getting altered again.
Rain rolled into the Indianapolis area before cars were able to get on track. By late afternoon, IndyCar made the decision to scrap day one and do all of qualifying on Sunday.
Of course, packing two days of qualifying comes with some concessions.
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The first day of running was supposed to set the grid for starting positions 16 through 33. Meanwhile, the top 15 cars would move on to Sunday, with the fastest nine making it automatically into a top 12 round while the cars that qualified in spots 10 through 15 would run again to complete the top 12.
From there, the top six finishers would move on to the Firestone Fast Six and would compete for pole.
That’s not the case anymore.
Now, the top 15 plan is out the window, and it will revert to the normal top 12 and then Fast Six format.
It’s a bummer because I was looking forward to this format. Of course, it was in the cards because with a 33-car field, no one is going to get bumped, and that eliminates some of the weekend’s best drama.
However, this creates some drama in another way.
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Now, each driver gets only one run to crack the top 12, instead of multiple, and that means the pressure is on.
Last year’s polesitter was Robert Swartzman (who is not in IndyCar this year), but this change plays into the hands of Indy 500 veterans.
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So, now, full-field qualifying will get underway at noon ET on FS2 with Scott Dixon batting leadoff thanks to Friday’s draw.
From there, the top 12 and Firestone Fast Six will both take place on Fox starting at 4 p.m. ET.