Indy 500: Everyone has the same concern as race day looms

A few days ago, weather forecasts indicated that there was roughly a 25% chance of rain this Sunday, May 26 in Speedway, Indiana during the 108th running of the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

But as the week has progressed, no matter where you look, those forecasts have become a lot less promising. As one example, The Weather Channel is now predicting an 89% chance of thunderstorms throughout the day.

Even the once-conservative AccuWeather is now predicting an 88% chance of the same, warning fans to "prepare for delays and cancellations of the race".

Indy 500 postponement looming?

Weather always seems to be a factor at the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) oval at this time of year, and that was evident again during practice week last week. But part of what makes it such an x-factor is how difficult it is to predict at the race track.

It is worth mentioning that there have been dire forecasts before, and the race has been run on time, in its entirely. It was practically a monsoon the morning of the 2015 race, and yet there were no delays, and the 2019 race was all but written off as a washout, but all 200 laps were run on Sunday, also without a delay.

Far more recently, Fast Friday practice last week was believed by many to have no chance of happening, and the entire six-hour session was run without any rain.

Of the first 107 Indy 500 races, only 12 have been significantly impacted by bad weather. It has only been fully postponed three times, most recently in 1997, and it has only been partially postponed twice, more recently in 1973. It has been shortened seven times, most recently in 2007.

Let's hope and pray that all of those figures are still true by this time next week and that the 345,000+ fans who plan to pack Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday get to see an exciting 500-mile race.

As of now, NBC is set to provide live coverage of the 108th running of the Indy 500 beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET this Sunday, May 26. The green flag is set to fly shortly after 12:30 p.m. ET. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action, regardless of when it takes place!