Weather could be factor for teams yet to qualify
The forecast for the next five days, which covers three days of practice and two days of weekend qualifying to set the 33-car field, calls for a significant chance of rain every day but Friday.
With 2-1/2 days of practice last week and second-round qualifying Sunday lost to rain, teams are itching to get back to work. Time is especially precious for a team such as Curb Agajanian Beck Motorsports, one of four confirmed entries that has yet to be on the track.
"It's going to be interesting to see how the next few days play out," said co-owner Greg Beck, who plans to have his car on the track today. "Weather permitting, the track's going to be crowded. For those of us just getting started, we need to get up to speed pretty quick."
Beck said either Alex Barron or Roger Yasukawa, both five-time starters, will be in the car. "It's just a matter of whose money shows up first," he said.
Chief steward Brian Barnhart cautioned teams to manage their time wisely and realize the 11 already in the field will be working solely on race setups while everyone else will be dividing their efforts between race and qualifying preparation.
"It's just a matter of being smart of when you're doing what you're doing," he said. Indy Star