While it was a strength-sapping, muggy 84F degrees F outside/29C and 117 degrees F on the track/46C at 4:00pm ET, the cloud cover had enveloped most of the sky, with the blackest clouds hovering right over Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The forecast had called for lightning, and by 4:30pm, all nineteen of the cars who had been or planned on going on track were in the pits including three drivers who didn’t turn a lap – JUAN PABLO MONTOYA/No.2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, JOSEF NEWGARDEN/No.67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda, MARTIN PLOWMAN/No.41 A.J.Foyt Enterprises Honda.
KURT BUSCH/No.26 Andretti Autosport Honda went on track mid-afternoon, as did E.J. VISO of Venezuela, not Colombia as I earlier reported. Busch was gtting a lot of attention, from the team, and the fans who had figured out where he was.
After a suitable wait, a few cars braved the weather as the menacing clouds started to move on.
Viso, who had a seat fitting Sunday morning, is filling in for JAMES HINCHCLIFFE, who was concussed in Saturday afternoon’s Grand Prix of Indianapolis road race. Hinch will need to be reevaluated before he’s cleared to drive. His next evaluation hasn’t yet been scheduled. In the meantime, Viso is in the No.27 Andretti Autosport Honda, but there is no driver’s name on the cockpit.
Correcting another mistake, BUDDY LAZIER is driving No.91 Lazier Partners Racing Chevrolet, not the aforementioned Honda for BRYAN HERTA.