Rain shortened Indy 500 practice quotes

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Chevrolet): “Well it ended up being a short day today. We got rained out after about an hour or so of running. We worked again on long runs and race preparation in the Target car. It looked like the weather isn’t going to be much better tomorrow so we’ll just have to sit and wait. Typical May weather for Indianapolis."

TONY KANAAN (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Chevrolet): “Not a lot on track today unfortunately. We learned a little bit but really didn’t have a chance to go through our run plan like we would have liked to because of the rain."

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 8 NTT DATA Chevrolet): “We didn’t get a lot of on-track time today because of the weather, but I think we still made some really positive strides forward in the laps we did get completed. We were able to make some solid race runs and get the No. 8 NTT DATA Chevrolet into traffic. We’ll take any time we can get out there, but we’re really hoping that the weather can come around and we can get a full day in on the track soon."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Chevrolet): “Even though we didn’t have a lot of on-track time today because of the rain, we were still able to work on some setup changes. There are still some items on our test list that we need to work through and we’re hoping that the weather will clear up this week so we can make those changes. We can’t control or change the weather, especially in Indianapolis in May, but Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing is great at adapting and making the best of the situation that we’re put in. My engineers and I have a lot of confidence in the speed of the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Chevrolet and we’re just looking forward to getting a full day on track."

SAGE KARAM (No. 22 Comfort Revolution/Brantley Gilbert Chevrolet):“Today went well. We made some good improvements to the car which allowed me to run in more traffic and in bigger packs of cars. I was able to put up some pretty good times similar to what guys were running yesterday and close to the fast guys today. Getting into the top 10 is a good confidence builder for myself and the team. We’re going to work very hard to tweak the car and get it a bit better for me in traffic so I am more comfortable. Once we that happens, we are going to have a very good car for this month."

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA (No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): “We started today off in a little more of a qualifying setup on the No. 2 Verizon Chevy, just trying to creep up on what we’ll need for this weekend’s pole days. The car felt good and had a lot of speed since it was a more trimmed out. Unfortunately we had an electrical issue and it took us a couple of runs to figure it out, but that’s why I was stopped on the grass. Then the rains came and that was the end of the session. We ran a lot of laps yesterday in preparation for it so it’s nothing major and it gives the guys time to catch up on the car."

TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): “It's a little disappointing that we had to stop early due to the weather conditions. Today it was quite gusty wind as well right from the beginning so it was very difficult to test tire temps. But we did some test items that we didn't get to yesterday and we made a lot of good progress. So with only 20 laps today, I think it was a good test day. And hopefully over the next few days we have better weather conditions."

MARTIN PLOWMAN (No. 41 ABC Supply A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): "The car felt better running by myself, but today was the first time that we decided to run in some heavy traffic. So I think we just need to work on getting the car comfortable enough to run flat in traffic. We weren't quite there today, but this was a good first experiment and now we've got a good amount of time to work on that before race day." (About the rain): “We're in the same boat as everyone else. It's not ideal. It's going to hurt me a bit because I'm still lacking experience around this place so I need as much time as I can get. But we're using the time wisely to pick Takuma's brain and AJ's brain and get as much information as I can."

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 67 Hartman Oil/Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda): “I’m kind of happy about the rain a little bit. I know it sounds a very odd, but it’s been a tough on our teams trying to switch over from the Grand Prix race that we had a couple days ago, so it’s nice to give them a break. We’ve had a good start to the month, at least in terms of practice for the 500. We’ve been trying to step through our program and things we didn’t get to do last year. We have a pretty good car. It’s just a continuation of what we didn’t get to do last year. We did a lot last year, but as a one-car team, you can’t really do everything you want to. This year is a bit different. We have Alex Tagliani as a teammate and it’s easier to get things done. Yesterday we did quite a bit of running. We ran 105 laps. We’re just hoping for a couple of clear days this week because we have a lot more to do.

E.J. VISO (No. 27 United Fiber & Data Honda): “I’ve taken on the full role of (James Hinchcliffe). Whatever his crew and engineer had planned to test and experience, I’ve been doing. It has been a quick adaptation to the team for me and so far it’s all been pretty positive. My biggest wish is to Hinch and to his recovery. Hopefully, he’s going to be able to make it to the race. I think today he was getting checked and soon we’ll have an answer." (About getting back into a car): “When you are driving a car that’s already up to speed and you know it’s capable of doing something, you feel very safe. After a few laps, I was flat out."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Team Penske Chevrolet): “Another great day for the Pennzoil Chevrolet. We did what we needed to do before the rain came in. Now we are just making sure that we are ready to go as soon as the track is open tomorrow. It looks like the weather is going to be hit and miss again, so when the track goes green we will be ready. But we are getting close to qualifying and that is what we are starting to think about."

ED CARPENTER (No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka /Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet): “It is tough when you can’t get a full day of running in at the Speedway. But we expect some rain in May. We just don’t pack everything up immediately too on a day like today. We have to take our cars through tech again and clean up some things so we are ready for qualifying. I felt really good about day one (Sunday). Then day two (Monday) and first part of day three (Tuesday) have been so-so. I think we are better than what the time sheets have shown. You want to be on track as much as possible with the changing conditions at IMS. You don’t want to be surprised on race day."

JR HILDEBRAND (No. 21 Preferred Freezer/Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet): “With rain coming in, we tried to do a bunch of things early today. We have a pretty extensive plan throughout the week, so we really want the track time. Everyone is in the same boat on days like today. We can then sit down and access our current situation with the cars. We just hope that rain doesn’t come back in the few days. It feels great to run with Ed, and I am enjoying this team. It is low key and very professional. I hope to expand this program at Ed Carpenter Racing because I really like working with these guys. Some of the them I have worked with in my Indy Lights and IndyCar career. So it is pretty familiar territory for me."