The COVID-19 pandemic caused the postponement or cancellation of countless events around the world. On March 26, 2020, it prompted the postponement of the 2020 Indianapolis 500. The race was originally scheduled for Sunday May 24, but it was rescheduled for Sunday August 23. This was the first Indy 500 not contested within the month of May, and the first not held on or around Memorial Day (except 1986, see below). However, it was not the first Indy 500 to be postponed from its originally scheduled date or time). Here’s a look at the other times the Indianapolis 500 has been postponed.

Several times the Indianapolis 500 has been delayed due to rain, and on four occasions it was pushed into a second or even a third day. Multiple races have been delayed due to morning or overnight rain, but still rolled off and were completed (or declared official) on the day it was scheduled to be run. A couple times (namely 1966 & 1982) a crash at the start put out the red flag, or a crash on the pace lap (for instance 1992 & 1997) led to extra pace laps before the green flag. But since in those instances the command to start engines was given on-time and the field pulled away for the parade/pace laps on-schedule, they are not considered “delayed” and are not included in this list.

Despite the numerous delays, and the scheduling of the race for the last week of May, from 1911 to 2019, the race never spilled over into the month of June (or later).

1915

The first postponement in Indianapolis 500 history came in 1915. The fifth annual 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was scheduled for Saturday May 29. From its inception four years earlier in 1911 through 1970, the race was scheduled for May 30 regardless of the day of the week. At the time, Memorial Day (or Decoration Day as it was formerly known) was a fixed date holiday. However, if May 30 fell on a Sunday, the Speedway management chose to move the race off of that day of the week. For 1915, the original plan saw it moved up one day to Saturday May 29.

Heavy rain fell during the week leading up to the race. The storms flooded the infield, and washed out some of the dirt roads that led to the track. On the morning of Friday May 28, the Speedway management announced they were postponing the race until Monday May 31. The two-day delay would allow time for the grounds to dry out a bit, and for the roads to be passable for the onslaught of fans.

According to The Indianapolis Star, about 2,000 spectators showed up at the track Saturday, unaware that the race had been rescheduled. To entertain the small contingent of fans, Ralph DePalma took his car out for a couple laps, then pulled into the pit area to do a tire changing demonstration.

In subsequent years, when May 30 fell on a Sunday, the race would be scheduled for Monday May 31, mirroring the 1915 situation. That would be the case in 1920, 1926, 1937, 1948, 1954, and 1965.

1917-1918 (World War I)

The Indianapolis 500 was not held for two years during World War I. On March 23, 1917 the Speedway management voluntarily suspended the race, cancelling the 1917 running, and subsequently the 1918 running. No races were held at the track and the AAA Contest Board suspended the National Championship for both years as well. However, automobile racing was not banned outright and some races at other tracks (technically non-championship races) were held. On Memorial Day of 1917, a 250-mile race was held at Cincinnati.

The Speedway was offered as a landing strip and maintenance facility for aircraft during the war. The 821st Aero Repair Squadron was stationed there, primarily serving aircraft flying between Wilbur Wright Field (Dayton, Ohio) and Chanute Air Force Base (Rantoul, Illinois).

1919

Not a postponement per say, but in 1919 there was a small, mostly forgotten, schedule change. It was the first 500 to be held after the conclusion of World War I. Fittingly, it was titled the “Liberty Sweepstakes”, and was scheduled for Friday May 30, the traditional date. On December 6, 1918, Speedway manager Theodore E. “Pop” Myers made the official announcement, but the following day in the local newspapers, the track was sharply criticized for the decision in an editorial. They reasoned that since this was to be the first “Decoration Day” (a.k.a. Memorial Day) holiday after the “Great War”, it should be left alone in order to honor the thousands that died in the war.

One week later, the Speedway announced that they would move the race back a day, and it was rescheduled for Saturday May 31. It was moved off the Memorial Day holiday in order not to detract from the important holiday.

1926

The race was halted after 72 laps due to rain. After the rain stopped, the race was resumed a little over an hour later. Rain fell again and the race was officially ended after 160 laps (400 miles). Frank Lockhart was holding a two-lap lead over second place Harry Hartz, and was declared the winner. Lockhart may have completed as many as 163 laps, but scoring was officially reverted to the conclusion of lap 160. It was the first rain-shortened “500” in history.

1928

Rain threatened to wash out the day, but the showers stopped, the sun came out, and the race started on time. At about 2 p.m., as the leaders reached the 160-lap mark (400 miles), a light rain began to fall. Officials put out the yellow flag, and considered halting the race. On lap 162, Earl Devore skidded out of turn four, then crashed in turn one due to the wet conditions. The rain shower was brief, and the race went back to green flag conditions after a few laps.

1931

The race was scheduled for Saturday May 30 at 10:00 a.m., but was delayed for two hours due to rain. The race began at 12:00 p.m., and despite off and on showers during the first half, it was run to completion.

1935

The race started on time under sunny skies. However, a rain shower passed through the area late in the race. On laps 177 through 189, the caution flag was put out due to rain. Drivers were required to slow down to 75 mph, but the race was not halted. The rain eventually stopped, and the race was run to completion.

1938

The race was held under heavy overcast skies, with rain threatening all afternoon. Floyd Roberts took the checkered flag as the winner. As was customary at the time, the race continued, with extra time made available for other cars to complete the full 500 miles. About 17 minutes later, after the 5th-place car finished 200 laps, a rain shower put out the yellow flag. Rain began to fall harder, and the red flag was displayed ending the race. All remaining cars were flagged off the track.

1940

Rain began to fall at lap 150. Rather than halt the race, the yellow light was put on. Drivers were required to slow down and hold positions. The final 50 laps were run under caution (approximately 1 hour and 18 minutes). Wilbur Shaw led the entire rest of the way, claiming his second-consecutive “500” victory. Officials allowed the first three cars to finish the 500 miles, then all other cars were flagged off the track.

1941

The race was scheduled for Friday May 30 at 10:00 a.m. At about 6:59 a.m. on the morning of the race, a fire broke out in the garage area, and swept through the southern bank of Gasoline Alley. The revolutionary rear-engine car of George Barringer was being fueled with gasoline in one of the garage stalls, while somewhere in an adjacent stall, one of the Joel Thorne cars was being worked on with a welder. The gasoline fumes caught fire, and it spread quickly.

Seven men reportedly received burns or cuts, but no one was seriously injured. Barringer’s car was destroyed along with two other cars that had not qualified for the race. About a third of the southern bank of garages was burned to the ground, along with various tools, equipment, and other supplies.

It took firefighters nearly two hours to put out the flames, and the race day traffic jams made it difficult for the fire trucks to reach the scene. The Speedway gates, which had opened to spectators at 6 o’clock, were shut for about two hours until the blaze was under control. An estimated $100,000 in damage was caused by the fire.

Miraculously, all of the other cars that qualified for the race were evacuated and spared – some precariously – and the race lined up with 31 cars. Sam Hanks (who crashed during a practice run on Thursday) withdrew and received 33rd place. Likewise, Barringer’s car was also withdrawn, and he was credited with 32nd. The race started at about 11 a.m. and ran to its completion. The ashes continued to smolder throughout the afternoon. Later that summer, the entire garage area was demolished and rebuilt.

1942-1945 (World War II)

The 30th Indianapolis 500 was scheduled for Saturday May 30, 1942. Ticket order forms were made available in November 1941, but with escalating hostilities abroad, rumors began circulating that racing may be suspended. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States was thrust into World War II.

On December 29, 1941 Speedway president Eddie Rickenbacker announced that the 1942 was cancelled, and the race would remain suspended until the conclusion of the war. The Speedway gates were closed, and the facility fell into a state of disrepair. The race was not held from 1942 to 1945. Rickenbacker sold the Speedway to Tony Hulman in November 1945, and after a six month renovation, the race returned for 1946.

1950

On lap 135, a sudden downpour brought out the caution flag with Johnnie Parsons leading. After three laps (about 4 minutes and 50 seconds), chief steward Harlan Fengler elected to put out the red and checkered flag and ended the race early. Parsons was declared the winner, completing 138 laps (345 miles). At the time, it was the shortest “500” on record.

1956 (almost)

The 40th Indianapolis 500 in 1956 was nicknamed “Cagle’s Miracle”. In the days leading up to the race, torrential rains flooded the Speedway. The grandstands were filled with standing water, parts of the track were underwater, the access tunnels were flooded, and the infield was a muddy quagmire. Though the rain finally ceased, it looked impossible that the race could be held as scheduled.

Speedway superintendent Clarence Cagle and his crew worked for 48 hours straight to pump the flood waters out of the Speedway. Cagle reportedly went without sleep, and miraculously the track was passable come race day. On Wednesday May 30, the race was held on-time as scheduled.

1967

In 1967, the 51st Indianapolis 500 was scheduled for Tuesday May 30. Despite threatening skies, the race started on-time at 11:00 a.m. local time. Rain began to fall after 18 laps, and the red flag was put out halting the race. Rain continued to fall and for the first time in history, the race was carried over into a second day.

On Wednesday May 31, the race was resumed at 10:00 a.m., and picked up on lap 19. Despite cool temperatures early on, the race was run to completion.

1970

In a one-time adjustment, the 1970 race was scheduled for a 12:00 p.m. start, a departure from the then-familiar 11 a.m. start time. Morning rain, however, delayed the start by about 25 minutes. On the final pace lap, Jim Malloy suffered a suspension failure and smacked the outside wall in turn four. The start was red flagged, and the field was halted in order to clean up the incident. The crash delayed the start about another half hour.

1973

The race was scheduled for Monday May 28 at 11:00 a.m. In 1971 and 1972, the race was scheduled for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. For 1973, the race was moved to Monday, the Memorial Day holiday itself. This was done for two reasons. It allowed the 500 Festival Parade to be held on Saturday (and to be televised) as previously it was held on a weekday in the evening. Fans had also been complaining that holding the race on Saturday was inconvenient for those people that had to work on Saturdays.

On Sunday May 27, the Public Drivers Meeting was held, and later in the afternoon and evening, severe thunderstorms swept through the region. Tornadoes even touched down Sunday night in the Midwest.

On Monday May 28, morning rain delayed the start of the race until 3:06 p.m. local time. At the start, a massive 11-car accident immediately halted the race. Salt Walther’s car touched wheels with another, and flipped up into the catch fence, sending debris and burning fuel into the grandstand, injuring 11 spectators. Walther’s car also significantly damaged portions of the fence. The race was red-flagged, and the start was negated. Safety crews attended to the crash scene, and repaired the fence, but rain began to fall again. Walther was critically injured, but he would recover. The race was postponed and rescheduled for 9:00 a.m. the following day.

On Tuesday May 29th, rain fell in the morning, delaying an attempt at a start until 10:08 a.m. On the second parade lap, rain began to fall, and the track was red-flagged at 10:10 a.m. The cars were halted on the mainstretch to wait out the shower. Rain continued to fall most of the day Tuesday, and washed out the rest of the day. Around 3:00 p.m., the race was postponed until Wednesday.

On Wednesday May 30th, morning rains again delayed a start attempt until 2:10 p.m. At that time, finally, the race got underway. On the 59th lap, Swede Savage suffered a tremendous accident at the exit of turn four, and the race was red flagged. During the red flag, a pit crew member was struck and killed by a fire truck in the pit area. Over an hour after the accident, the race was resumed. On the 129th lap a light rain began to fall, and the yellow came out with Gordon Johncock leading. After 133 laps, at about 5:10 p.m., the rain started to fall much harder, forcing the race to be stopped. Officials declared the race official, and the tragic race was over with Johncock the winner.

1975

A sudden downpour on lap 174 ended the race early. Skies had been threatening for several minutes, with Bobby Unser leading Johnny Rutherford by about a half a lap. A.J. Foyt was running third almost a lap down. On lap 170, Gary Bettenhausen’s right rear hub exploded, and he lost a wheel going down the mainstretch. The yellow came out for the debris, and Bettenhausen skillfully guided his crippled car to a stop down in the infield of turn one. Before the green could come back out, the skies open up. In a pouring rain, Unser slowly made his away around the track to the finish line. Pat Vidan waved the red and checkered flag at the starter’s stand, and Bobby Unser won his second “500”. Several cars spun out in the wet conditions, and for a time, the mainstretch was halfway blocked by wrecked cars. Defending Indy winner Johnny Rutherford made his way around to place second, and Foyt finished third. It was the second rain-shortened “500” in three years, though this time the race was only 26 laps short of the scheduled distance.

1976

The shortest “500” on record came in 1976. As the race reached the halfway point, Johnny Rutherford was leading A.J. Foyt, but skies were threatening. On lap 100, the yellow light came on for drizzle. The rain began to intensify, and the red flag was put out on lap 103. The cars were halted in the pits. According to USAC rules, the race needed to complete one lap beyond the halfway point (i.e., 101 laps) in order to make it official. However, since it was only about 12:45 p.m. local time, and 97 laps remained, the officials decided not yet call the race at that point. The rain stopped and track drying efforts began.

At about 2:45 p.m., the track was nearly dry, and chief steward Tom Binford announced that they were preparing to resume the race in about twenty minutes or so. By 3 p.m., the cars were lined up single-file in a grid along the pit lane, and some drivers were already climbing into their cockpits.

A few minutes later, however, a light rain was being reported around parts of the track. Umbrellas were starting to open up in the grandstands, and pit crew members started to place tarps over their machines. By 3:15 p.m., the rain was falling harder, and officials decided the track was “lost”. They judged that there was insufficient time to dry the track and resume the race before daylight ran out. USAC officials called the race at that point, reverting the scoring the completion of lap 102 (255 miles). Johnny Rutherford was being surrounded by media and reporters, and started being shuffled towards the victory lane area. Before his crew was able to wheel his car there, Rutherford famously walked to Victory Lane, celebrating his second “500” victory. It was the third time in four years that the race was rain-shortened.

1979

The weather forecast for race day called for a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Rain fell overnight, and into the early morning hours. However, the race started on time and rain did not affect the running of the race.

1981

The race started on time, and ran to completion. Shortly after the conclusion of the race, a heavy downpour opened up on the departing spectators.

1984

The threat of rain loomed over the second half of the race. The weather forecast called for a 70% chance of afternoon showers. In the late stages, some light rain was being reported around parts of the track, but it was not significant enough to bring out a yellow. Race winner Rick Mears took the checkered flag, beating the approaching rainstorm, and the race was unaffected. After the race, rain fell for much of the evening.

1986

The 70th Indianapolis 500 was scheduled for Sunday May 25 at 11:00 a.m. EST. Race morning dawned overcast and cool, and rain began to fall. Twice the rain stopped and twice the track was nearly dried, only to have rain fall once again. At about 3:35 p.m., the race was rescheduled for the following day.

For the first time in history, ABC Sports was set to broadcast the race live flag-to-flag on network television. On Monday May 26 (the Memorial Day holiday), steady rain washed out any chance for the race. With a questionable weather forecast for Tuesday, and the possibility of running the race on a weekday afternoon, in front of empty grandstands, with no live TV coverage. After a lengthy meeting with series officials and network executives, a decision was made to postpone the race until the following Saturday.

On Saturday May 31st, sunny skies greeted the competitors and fans. The race was scheduled for 11 a.m. EST, and the command to start engines was made on-time, much to the delight of the fans. However, on the final pace lap, Tom Sneva veered off course and hit the inside wall, bringing out the red flag and delaying the start for another 35 minutes.

This would end up being the first Indy 500 not held on or around Memorial Day.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

1991

Morning rain delayed the scheduled start of the race by about 55 minutes. The track was dried, and the race was run to completion without further interruption.

1993

Some weather forecasts called for rain on race day. Some teams reportedly were preparing for a possible rain-shortened race. However, the race started on-time, and was run to completion. It was not affected by rain

1995

Rain fell overnight and into the early morning of race day. The rain stopped by the 7 o’clock hour, and most of the pre-race ceremonies were able to be held on-time. The forecast was for cloudy skies and the chance of showers to return after 3 p.m. The track was dried and the start was delayed by less than five minutes.

1996

Rain fell on the morning of the race, but like the previous year, the start was delayed by only a few minutes. After the command to start engines was given, a miscommunication by officials saw them shut the engines off when it appeared to be raining again. Within a few moments, however, the engines were re-fired and the field pulled away for the parade and pace laps. The race was run to completion without additional delay. Some time after the checkered flag, a post-race downpour soaked the departing spectators.

1997

The 81st Indianapolis 500 was scheduled for Sunday May 25. Morning rain delayed the start of the race. The cars were placed on the grid at 11:43 a.m., but at 11:59 a.m. heavy rain began to fall, and the cars were wheeled back to the garage area. At 1:30 p.m. officials postponed the race until Monday.

On Monday May 26, the race began at 11:00 a.m., but rain halted the race after only 15 laps. The race must complete at least 101 laps to be considered official. At 12:35 p.m. the cars were returned to the garage area. Speedway officials were challenged with a situation similar to 1986. The only difference was that the race had already begun. Instead of waiting until Saturday, the Speedway opted to resume the race on Tuesday.

On Tuesday May 27, under sunny skies, the raced picked up at lap 16, and was shown live on ABC-TV. There were some complaints, but the officials felt it necessary to race on the “next raceable day.” The race was resumed and completed without further delay.

1998

Morning rain delayed the start of the race by 35 minutes. While crews were drying the track, a stray dog escaped on to the track, which captured the attention of fans for a few minutes. The race was run to completion without further interference.

1999

The race started on time and was run to completion. After the race, a thunder shower doused the departing spectators.

2000

Rain delayed the start of the race by 3 hours and 10 minutes. Most of the cars had been pushed into their positions on the starting grid shortly after 10:00 a.m. At 10:07 a.m. rain began to fall, and the cars were quickly wheeled back to the garage area. Twenty minutes later, the rain stopped, and track-drying efforts began.

At 11:55 a.m., the track was nearly dry, but it began to rain again, this time for over 45 minutes. Track drying efforts resumed at 12:40 p.m., and the race was expected to begin around 2 p.m. The track was dried quickly, and the command to start engines was made at 2:01 p.m. EST (3:01 p.m. EDT). Just seven minutes after the checkered flag waved, rain doused the victory lane celebration.

2001

The night before the race saw heavy rain in the area, but it stopped by race morning. The race started on time, without any need for significant track drying efforts. However, light rain fell around the halfway point, and laps 107-118 were run under yellow. Rain fell again and caused a red flag at lap 155. After a delay of about 17 minutes, the race was resumed and completed.

2004

Less than an hour after the gates opened at 5:00 a.m. EST, rain began to fall, delaying the start of the race. The rain fell on and off until 10:32 a.m. After the track was dried, the race began at 1:10 p.m. EST (2:10 EDT).

On lap 22, a light rain started falling, and the yellow flag was put out. After six caution laps, the red flag was displayed, and the cars returned to the pits. Track drying efforts began, and the race was re-started at 3:30 p.m. On lap 174, a light rain began to fall, and the yellow flag was put out. After 180 laps were completed (20 short of the scheduled distance), the checkered flag was displayed ending the race.

The rain began to fall heavier, as a severe thunderstorm entered the area. An F2 tornado touched down just six miles south of the track, missing the Speedway and the thousands of spectators. Amid lightning, the victory lane celebration took place in the covered area underneath the Pagoda.

2007

Rain fell Friday evening and intermittently on Saturday the day before the race. Overnight, rain fell hard, but stopped before the track gates opened at 6:00 a.m. Track drying efforts began at 6:10 a.m. At 7:55 a.m., rain began to fall again at the track, and continued until about 9:45 a.m. Track drying efforts began immediately after the rain stopped. Pre-race ceremonies started mostly on-time, and the track dried quickly. Despite the morning rain, the command to start engines was given on-time as scheduled, at 1:05 p.m. EDT. The race started on-time as well. The race time temperature was 76 degrees, with cloudy, but clearing skies.

Around the 90th lap, reports were indicating that rain was approaching. On lap 107, a restart saw Tony Kanaan pass Marco Andretti, followed by a crash by Phil Giebler. Before the track could be cleaned up, rain began to fall, and the red flag was displayed with 113 laps completed. It was 3:02 p.m. Some fans began to leave the track, however, an official announcement was not made at that time. The cars were returned to the garage area, staged in Gasoline Alley under impound rules. Rain continued to fall, sometimes hard, for one hour, and stopped at about 4:00 p.m. The track drying process began right after 4 p.m. The skies began to clear, and fans began returning to their seats. At 5:43 p.m., the cars were wheeled back to the pits. At 5:56 p.m., the engines were re-fired, and after a 2 hour and 57 minute delay, the cars pulled away at 5:59 p.m. The race resumed and ran for several laps until the first yellow. At lap 163, a multi-car crash on the backstrech brought out the yellow with Dario Franchitti leading. Rain was again approaching the vicinity, and before the track could be cleared, the rain began to fall the hardest of the day. The checkered flag was displayed and Franchitti was declared the winner after 166 laps (415 miles). It was the seventh rain-shortened race all time, and the second in four years.

2009

Some weather forecasts called for a chance of rain. However, the race was not affected. About an hour after the checkered flag, rain showers came through the state, but pushed far south of the vicinity of the track. The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, however, was rained out and postponed until Monday.

2015

The weather forecast was for scattered showers. On race morning, a light, misty shower fell at the track starting at 8 a.m. After about a half hour, the rain stopped, and the track was lightly damp but it was not “lost”.  The track surface dried quickly, and the race started on-time without further interruption.

2016

Some weather forecasts called for a chance of afternoon thunderstorms. However, the race was not affected. Rain showers pushed far north of the vicinity.

2017

Some weather forecasts called for isolated showers, and scattered storms in the afternoon. However, the race was not affected.

2019

Some weather forecasts called for a chance of rain in the morning, and possibly more rain in the afternoon. However, the rain drifted far north and far south of the vicinity of the track. The race was not affected.

2024

The weather forecast was for showers and thunderstorms on race day. Severe weather was a possibility. The gates opened at 6 a.m. under mostly clear skies, and fans began to file into the track. Some of the pre-race ceremonies were conducted as scheduled, including vintage car laps and the Snake Pit concert. However, the decision was made to keep the cars in the garage area and not wheel them to the respective pits. Around 11 a.m., weather radar started showing storms moving towards the vicinity of the track. At 11:17 a.m., officials halted the pre-race ceremonies, and requested that the spectators begin exiting the grandstands due to nearby lighting. A heavy thunderstorm swept through the area, starting around 12:30 p.m., lasting about an hour and a half. Shortly after 2 p.m., the grandstands were reopened, and the Snake Pit reopened at 2:30 p.m..

During the delay, officials elected to lift the local television blackout. Track-drying efforts began as skies began to clear, and a re-tooled schedule was released, which was essentially a four-hour start delay. However, with sunset at 9:03 p.m., and insufficient lighting at the facility, track and local law enforcement officials agreed upon time limit of 8:15 p.m. to finish the race. That provided a 3½ hour window to complete the race, which based on recent years, would be plenty of time as long as there were no red flags or further delays. Nevertheless, the race would be declared over at lap 200 or at 8:15 p.m., whichever came first. The race started at 4:44 p.m., and skies continued to clear. The race ran to completion without further delay, and and finished at approximately 7:45 p.m. A couple hours after the race, rain moved back into the area.

Kyle Larson, who was scheduled to attempt “Double Duty” – racing the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day – stayed at Indianapolis throughout the rain delay. He stayed and started the “500” and finished 17th. Justin Allgaier was standing by and started in substitution for Larson at Charlotte. After the “500” was over, Larson immediately flew to Charlotte, and he arrived there shortly after the halfway point of the “600”. However, rain and lightning at Charlotte had halted that race on lap 249 (of 400) before he was suited up and ready to take over his car. Track drying efforts were underway, but were proving futile due to humidity and lateness. At 11:30 p.m., officials called the race, and Larson was unable to race any laps in the “600”.

2025

The weather forecast was for cloudy skies and high temperatures in the mid-60s. Rain showers and thunderstorms pushed well to the south, however, the possibility lingered for sprinkles in the morning. During the pre-race ceremonies, light misting was observed around parts of the track, and a hold was put on the proceedings at approximately 12:40 p.m. following the rendition of “Back Home Again in Indiana”. The drivers were instructed to remain in their cars, and Air Titans were dispatched around the track to dry the pavement. The track was not considered “lost”, but some moisture was noticeable at some locations.

The command to start engines was originally scheduled for 12:38 p.m., and the green flag was to fall at 12:45 p.m. Roger Penske gave the command to start engines at 1:24 p.m., and the race began at approximately 1:32 p.m. (47 minutes behind schedule). Scott McLaughlin crashed on the final pace lap, which ended up delaying the green flag. Officials elected to start the race the next time around (as planned) under a running yellow. The green came out to start actual racing on lap 4, but the yellow came out a second time almost immediately as Marco Andretti crashed in turn one. After the cleanup, the green came out to start lap 9, and racing was finally underway.

A caution came out for light sprinkles on laps 19–29, but no red flag was warranted. The green came out on lap 20, and rain did not affect the race again the rest of the afternoon.

Kyle Larson, attempting “Double Duty” for the second year in a row, was on a strict time schedule for his departure to Charlotte. According to team principal Jeff Gordon, Larson was “going to be [at Charlotte] for driver introductions at 5:25 p.m. That’s the call.” As such, Larson reportedly had a hard limit time of 4:05 p.m. With the 47 minute delay, and a slow start to the first half of the race, Larson’s travel plans were in jeopardy. On lap 92, Larson crashed out of the race, and placed 24th. He departed the Speedway a short time later, and arrived in Charlotte with plenty of time to spare. The 500 would end at approximately 4:30 p.m., which was about 25 minutes beyond Larson’s drop dead time. It is not known if Larson would have been parked if he was still running towards the finish.

---

References & works cited

• • “500-Mile Speed Classic Put Off Until Monday (Part 1).” The Indianapolis News 28 May 1915: Page 1 via Newspapers.com clipped 27 March 2020
  • “500-Mile Speed Classic Put Off Until Monday (Part 2).” The Indianapolis News 28 May 1915: Page 1 via Newspapers.com clipped 27 March 2020
  • Nussbaum, Lowell. “No Confusion In ’15 Race Delay.” The Indianapolis News 01 June 1967: Page 33 via Newspapers.com clipped 19 June 2019
  • “Sixth 500 Mile Race Here May 30.” The Indianapolis News 07 December 1918: Page 10 via Newspapers.com clipped 04 May 2015
  • “Memorial Day (Editorial).” The Indianapolis News 09 December 1918: Page 6 via Newspapers.com clipped 03 May 2015
  • Sturm, Willian F. “Speedway Race Date is Changed to May 31.” The Indianapolis News 16 December 1918: Page 17 via Newspapers.com clipped 04 May 2015
  • Sturm, Willian F. “Showers Fail To Stop Event Despite Delay.” The Indianapolis News 30 May 1931: Page 20 via Newspapers.com clipped 15 April 2015
  • “$100,000 Fire Destroys 3 Racing Cars And South Section of “Gasoline Alley”.” The Indianapolis Star 31 May 1941: Page 5 via Newspapers.com clipped 27 March 2020
  • “1942 Speedway Rules Unchanged.” The Indianapolis Star 02 July 1941: Page 18 via Newspapers.com clipped 06 April 2016
  • Bostwick, Mary E. “Old Speedway Office Lively Place Again; Orders Pour In.” The Indianapolis Star 03 February 1946: Page 3 via Newspapers.com clipped 06 April 2016
  • Miller, Robin. “Persistent rain postpones race.” The Indianapolis Star 26 May 1986: Page 1 via Newspapers.com clipped 02 June 2017
  • Miller, Robin. “Rained-out ‘500’ reset for Saturday (Part 1).” The Indianapolis Star 27 May 1986: Page 1 via Newspapers.com clipped 01 April 2020
  • Miller, Robin. “Rained-out ‘500’ reset for Saturday (Part 2).” The Indianapolis Star 27 May 1986: Page 1 via Newspapers.com clipped 01 April 2020
  • Koenig, Bill. “Waiting for the race that wasn’t.” The Indianapolis Star 27 May 1986: Page 1 via Newspapers.com clipped 02 June 2017
  • Patterson, James L. “Balloons prove bust due to quick release in pre-race festivities.” The Indianapolis Star 27 May 1991: Page 1 via Newspapers.com clipped 01 April 2020
  • “The Talk of Gasoline Alley”, WFNI, 3 May 2011.
  • “The Talk of Gasoline Alley”, WFNI, 23 May 2013.
  • “Trackside With Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee”, WFNI, 25 March 2020.

  ---

  

Revisions

• July 30, 2020: Minor grammar and spelling corrections.
• May 17, 2023: Minor revisions.
• July 15, 2024: Substantial expansion. Changed article fundamentally to include “500” rain history.