First day of Indy 500 qualifying gets rained out, sets up an altered format for Sunday

There was a lot of preparation and excitement heading into the first day of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 on Saturday, but the weather had other plans.

Today, the qualification procedure, which had already been slightly changed compared to previous years, is being changed again.

Rain hit the Indianapolis area before the cars could hit the track. Late in the afternoon, IndyCar made the decision to abandon the first day and do all qualifying on Sunday.

Of course, holding two days of qualifying comes with some concessions.

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The first day of racing was supposed to set the starting grid for positions 16 through 33. During this time, the top 15 cars would advance to Sunday, with the nine fastest automatically placing in the top 12 while the cars qualified in positions 10 through 15 would race again to complete the top 12.

Storms led Indycar to cancel the first day of qualifying for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500. (© Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

From there, the top six would move on to the Firestone Fast Six and compete for pole.

This is no longer the case.

Now the top 15 plan is out of the window and it will return to the normal top 12 format, then the Fast Six format.

It’s a shame because I was impatiently waiting for this format. Of course, that was expected because with a field of 33 cars, no one will get knocked off, eliminating some of the best drama of the weekend.

However, it creates drama in another way.

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Now each driver only has one run to place in the top 12, instead of several, meaning the pressure is on.

Last year’s pole sitter 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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Crew members walk along the rainy pit lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday. (© Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

So, now, full-field qualifying will begin at noon ET on FS2 with Scott Dixon leading the bat 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.