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    Indy 500 weather update: IMS sets new start time after rain, lightning delays start of 2024 Indianapolis race

    cne4hBy No Comments7 Mins Read

    Mother Nature may throw a wrench into F1 fanatics' plans this Memorial Day weekend.

    The Indy 500 is scheduled for Sunday at the Brickyard in Indianapolis. The race is one of the most iconic races in motorsport history and is undoubtedly the most prestigious race on the IndyCar circuit.

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    There are a lot of racers who want to win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Josef Newgarden won the race last year, giving the Team Penske driver his first career Indy 500 victory. Newgarden is once again considered the favorite for the event, along with his Team Penske teammate Will Power and polesitter Scott McLaughlin.

    Rain at events in Indianapolis is nothing new. In fact, according to Indianapolis meteorologist Ethan Rosuck, rain has fallen on 29 percent of the Indy 500 race days since the race began in 1911.

    What's the weather forecast for Sunday? Sporting News is tracking all the latest weather updates for the Indy 500.

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    Indy 500 weather update

    (All times Eastern)

    Saturday, May 25

    4:30 pm — If the race hasn't completed 500 miles by then, the Indy 500 will apparently have a hard stop at 8:15 PM ET. This will be another noteworthy issue in “racing's greatest spectacle.”

    3:47 pm — Here is the complete revised schedule for the Indy 500, including start times and pre-race ceremonies:

    3:20 pm — We have a tentative start time for the Indy 500. 4:44 p.m. ET. Track drying is ongoing and IMS will provide fans with an update if there are any changes.

    2:43 pm — Track drying is underway at IMS, and Jeff Gluck of The Athletic reports that IndyCar rented some Air Titans from NASCAR for the weekend to assist with the drying effort. Perhaps this will speed up their efforts to return to play.

    2:04 pm — Good news, racing fans. The gates to IMS have reopened as lightning clears the area around the track. Track drying is about to begin, which could allow the race to start at 4 PM ET.

    1:55 pm — Game delays continue, but if you happen to catch some of the games on NBC, know that they are replays of last year's games. We're still waiting for the start of the 2024 Indy 500.

    1:24 pm — It looks like the rain will end by 2 PM ET. Brian Neudorff, who provides weather forecast analysis on X (formerly Twitter), estimates the game will start sometime between 4 and 4:30 PM ET.

    Soon, we'll see if this estimate is accurate.

    12:52 pm — It's raining heavily in Indianapolis. Even if this storm doesn't last long, the track at IMS needs to be dry before the race starts. That seems like a lengthy delay — and one that will almost certainly prevent Kyle Larson from completing Double.

    12:40 pm — Lightning has been officially detected in the area near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Spectators were asked to leave the stands as the game continued to be postponed.

    11:30 AM — IMS announced that the start of the Indy 500 and its pre-race ceremonies will be postponed due to the lightning's proximity to the track. Fans are being removed from the stands and snake pits.

    IMS said “further updates on timing will be communicated” as the weather changes.

    11:05 AM — According to Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Bolles is most concerned about the lightning that the upcoming storm could bring.

    Boles said at a 6:20 a.m. ET news conference that the next few hours will determine a lot of the game. He also detailed that IMS would not wait until the storm was “eight miles away” to postpone the game because they needed to give spectators time to relocate.

    “This is a challenging time for all of us, but the most important thing for us is keeping all of our customers safe,” Boles said.

    The game was scheduled to start at 12:45 pm ET. IMS considered moving the race up to 30 minutes, but the latest storm cell prevented the track from doing so. Now, Boles and his colleagues are considering whether to postpone the game and its pregame festivities until after the first storm passes.

    “We’re hoping that once we get through this rain, we’ll have a good chance to compete,” Boles said, according to Gluck.

    9:40 AM — The main concern about the Indianapolis storm is the severity of the weather conditions. High winds are expected in the area, along with showers and thunderstorms in the morning.

    Conditions are expected to get worse as the day goes on, but the worst of the weather shouldn't come until close to midnight on Sunday, when racing should be long over.

    “Showers and thunderstorms are possible before 1 a.m., showers and thunderstorms are possible between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m., and showers and thunderstorms are possible after 2 a.m.,” the National Weather Service said.

    Friday, May 24

    Rain feels inevitable on Sunday, so it will depend on how much precipitation it gets on game day.

    The question is the severity of the coming storm. Extreme weather is expected on Sunday, with strong winds and thunderstorms expected.

    It looks like it will be worse at night. This would not bode well for the Indy 500 if it needs to be postponed.

    More: Why Indy 500 winner drinks milk, explained

    Indy 500 weather forecast

    National Weather Service

    • Chance of Rain (Sunday): 80%
    • Chance of rain (Sunday night): 90%

    The weather forecast for Sunday as of May 25 (7:30 p.m. ET): “Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 4 p.m.. Highs near 80. South southeast wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New rainfall amounts possible in the fourth quarter Between one inch and half an inch.



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