Indy 500: Rain disrupts qualifying after 11 runs

Helio Castroneves, who was out fourth, set a 228.919mph average which held firm, 0.6mph faster than Team Penske-Chevrolet teammate Simon Pagenaud who had just completed his fourth lap when the rain started to fall hard enough to bring out the red flag.

Spencer Pigot was also in the 228mph bracket for Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevrolet, ahead of the fastest of the Hondas so far, Scott Dixon and Ed Jones in the Chip Ganassi Racing cars on 227.591 and 226.995 respectively.

Ryan Hunter-Reay, lies sixth, on a 226.916, with Jay Howard tucking the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda into seventh despite a strangely tardy warm-up lap of 209mph. His Michael Shank Racing-run SPM teammate Jack Harvey was a disappointed 10^th.

In between them was Graham Rahal who reported that, following his dearth of speed in the no-tow rankings yesterday, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team had pulled his car apart and rebuilt it. However, his 225.407mph average suggests there is much to do.

Confirming this was the disastrous run by Scuderia Corsa-run RLLR teammate Oriol Servia, who had a major moment in Turn 4 at the end of his warm-up lap, and then again into Turn 1. He throttled back, and on the third lap his run was waved off.

The rain has stopped – although more showers are expected later – and the track takes around two hours to dry. The track will remain open past the traditional 6pm deadline in order to try and give everyone at least one run today.

Today’s action, if it is completed, will define who is through into the Fast Nine shootout tomorrow, and who gets bumped from the field of 33.