The 108th Running of the Indy 500 could be in doubt due to the potential for severe thunderstorms in Indianapolis, Indiana.
According to WeatherUnderground, the forecast calls for thunderstorms Sunday morning and into the afternoon. There is an 80% chance of rain at 11 a.m., the scheduled start time of the event billed as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The chance of rain increases to 90% as the day continues. This further decreases the possibility that the 33 NTT IndyCar Series drivers will be unable to compete on the scheduled day.
If the forecast remains grim, it’s unlikely that racing fans will be able to fully enjoy “Motorsports Christmas.” The last Sunday in May is the day when three racing series take on prestigious events.
The schedule starts with Formula One’s Monaco Grand Prix (9 a.m. ET). It continues with the Indy 500 (11 a.m. ET). Motorsports Christmas ends with the Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET), the longest race of the NASCAR Cup Series season.
Weather could also disrupt one Indy 500 competitor’s big plans
If the weather disrupts Sunday’s schedule, IndyCar will just move its prestigious race to Monday. The teams will compete at a different time than originally planned.
No big deal, right? The issue is that one of the drivers in the field will not be able to complete one of the most difficult feats in racing — The Double.
To complete The Double, a driver must finish all 500 miles of the Indy 500. They must then fly to Charlotte and complete all 600 miles of the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race on the same day.
Only four drivers have attempted to complete all 1,100 miles of racing in the same day — John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Kurt Busch. Stewart is the only driver to complete every lap of both races. He finished sixth in the 2001 Indy 500 and third in the 2001 Coca-Cola 600.
Kyle Larson, 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, agreed to a deal to drive one of Arrow McLaren’s cars in the Indy 500. This would help him compete in both races on the same day.
If the weather forces the postponement of either race, Larson will not be able to accomplish this feat. He will not have the opportunity to put his name in the record books this season.