Pocono IndyCar race postponed until Monday (Update)
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| Crews pack up the cars in the heavy rain |
The delay forces Mikhail Aleshin, who Saturday became the first Russian driver in Indy car annals to win a pole position, to wait an extra day to lead the 22-car field to the green flag.
"It is a disappointment, definitely," said Aleshin, driver of the No. 7 SMP Racing Schmidt Peterson Honda. "The thing is, we have what we have in this situation. I feel very sorry for the fans because they came out and now we have rain. It's something we can't do anything with. We need to hope that tomorrow has no rain and it will be fine."
The ABC Supply 500 becomes the second Verizon IndyCar Series race this season delayed by weather. The Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway was scheduled for June 11 but pushed back to the following afternoon by rain and wet track conditions. Seventy-one laps were completed June 12 before rain returned. The race was suspended at that point and will be completed Aug. 27.
The ABC Supply 500 is scheduled to be the 13th race to be completed on the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series calendar. It was scheduled for a 3:10 p.m. ET start today, but light rain moved into the area shortly after noon and became heavier as race time approached. With a stronger front moving through the area later in the afternoon, INDYCAR and track officials announced the decision to postpone the race at 3 p.m.
Aleshin won the Verizon P1 Award in qualifying Saturday with a two-lap speed average of 220.445 mph after clocking the fastest lap in practice (221.932). The 29-year-old from Moscow said he isn't concerned with changing track conditions from the rain washing tire rubber off the track.
"It will be the same for everyone," Aleshin said. "I don't care about (the track possibly changing). We are going to prepare like we always do and just stay focused for one more day."
Josef Newgarden will start second in the No. 21 Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka/ECR Chevrolet, missing out on winning the pole Saturday by less than a tenth of a second over the 5-mile qualifying run. Newgarden's two-lap average speed was 220.195 mph.
Eighteen drivers remain mathematically alive in the hunt for the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series championship, led by Team Penske's Simon Pagenaud. The driver of the No. 22 Menards Chevrolet has collected 484 points through the first 12 completed races of the season, building a 58-point lead over teammate Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet. Power will start eighth and Pagenaud 14th when the green flag waves.
Three past Pocono race winners will start farther back in the 22-car field. Juan Pablo Montoya, the 2014 race winner, starts on the inside of Row 8 in the No. 2 Penske Truck Rental Chevrolet. Scott Dixon, the 2013 race winner and reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion, will be on the inside of Row 10 in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Ryan Hunter-Reay, last year's Pocono winner, starts last in the Andretti Autosport No. 28 DHL Honda after crashing his primary car in practice and not making a qualifying attempt in the backup car.
Indy cars have raced 22 times in the past at Pocono, annually from 1971-89 and again starting in 2013. All of the races have been 500-mile distances except two shortened by rain in 1975 (420 miles) and 1981 (305 miles). Both of the rain-shortened races were won by A.J. Foyt, whose four wins at Pocono are the most in Indy car history.
08/21/16
The Verizon IndyCar Series ABC Supply 500 has been postponed to Monday because of weather. The green flag will drop at 12 p.m. at Pocono Raceway and will also be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network.
All valid Sunday gate admission tickets will be honored on Monday.
Parking lots will open at 7 a.m. on Monday and gates at 8 a.m. Those fans who wish to enter via the Infield can do so via Gate 1.
Tickets for Monday’s race can be purchased at Gate 8 of Pocono Raceway beginning at 8 a.m.
The Paddock will open at 8 a.m. Monday. Paddock passes valid for Sunday will be honored. No additional Paddock passes will be sold.
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The ABC Supply 500 has been rescheduled.
The green flag will be 12:08 p.m. ET on Monday, August 22nd.
Parking lots will open at 7 a.m. ET and gates will open starting at 8:00 a.m. ET.
A ticket will be required to attend. All current ticket holders of Sunday Gate Admission Tickets for Sunday, August 21st, including Sunday One-Day Infield tickets, will be honored and scanned at the gates. Additionally, Paddock Passes are valid for use on Monday, August 22nd. RV and Camping Guests can stay through the end of the race but will not be allowed to stay overnight on Monday, August 22nd.
For more information, please click here.
For tickets to tomorrow’s event, click here or visit the Gate 8 Box Office, located behind the Grandstand tomorrow starting at 8 a.m. ET. Please note, no new additional Paddock Passes will be available on Monday, August 22nd.