UPDATE: Saturday has been rained out and IndyCar officials have called off on-track activities. Sunday will begin with Practice #6 at 9:30 a.m. ET. Following the practice session, IndyCar will begin qualifying. There are still chances of rain on Sunday that could cause troubles.
Qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 was set to begin on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. ET. Due to rain in the area, IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway have delayed the start of qualifying and are monitoring the weather.
Indianapolis can take as long as two hours to dry after a heavy rain. The goal is to get on the track and qualify on Saturday as planned. Rain will have to let up by the early afternoon in order to properly dry the track and have enough daylight to get the session in.
On Friday, drivers drew their lots for qualifying order. Now, they are all waiting to see if Mother Nature is going to let them get on the track for Saturday. There is no expected start time for qualifying at the moment, and IndyCar is looking for a window to get the entire first session in, and set positions 16-33.
Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports reports that there are options for IndyCar if Saturday ends up being rained out all day. That could include running all four qualifying sessions on Sunday. That would be a busy and long day at IMS for these teams and drivers.
Spring time in the Midwest, you don't know what the weather is going to be. For Saturday, it's cloudy, rainy, and the temperature is a little cooler. For Sunday, the heat cranks up, and the rain might even stick around a bit.
In the last two years we've seen issues with rain on the day of the Indianapolis 500. Now, Mother Nature is wreaking havoc on qualifying. Teams are going to play it by ear, drivers will get in the car when they are asked to, and everyone is hoping that there is a little window to at least get in the first session of qualifying.
If not, then Sunday becomes a very busy and very important day. Time is ticking and the Greatest Spectacle in Racing will be here before you know it.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on May 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
