IndyCar Test at Indy Oval Moved to Friday

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief

The Verizon IndyCar Series will take to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval on Friday, instead of the previously scheduled Saturday.

The 2.5-mile oval plays host for the first oval test of the season, with the session moved ahead by a day due to the likelihood of inclement weather on Saturday.

A surprisingly quick turnaround for the series as it will come just three days following a full field test at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

Chip Ganassi Racing will be represented by all four of their drivers – Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Max Chilton and Charlie Kimball. Honda’s presence will also being felt by Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, as well as the Schmidt Peterson Racing duo of Mikhail Aleshin and James Hinchcliffe.

Chevrolet-powered Team Penske also joins the test with Helio Castroneves, Will Power, Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden.

“The sweet sound of engines this Friday on the IMS oval will be yet another sign that the Month of May is right around the corner,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “The weather forecast looks warm for Friday, so we encourage fans to come to the track to enjoy seeing and hearing the cars.”

Fans can watch testing for free from the Turn 2 viewing mounds, Museum parking lot and South Terrace Grandstands.

About Joey Barnes 611 Articles
Joey Barnes is the Founder of Motorsports Tribune, an outlet that began with the goal of helping aspiring journalists break into and grow the industry. A regular on the racing scene since 2013, the journey for Joey started by covering a Grand-Am event at Circuit of The Americas in his home state of Texas. He has since primarily focused on the IndyCar Series, with appearances in the garages of NASCAR, paddocks of Formula 1, IMSA and World Endurance Championship, while also occasionally engulfing clouds of dust at the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals and select Supercross rounds. With previous stops at Autoweek, IndyCar.com, Motorsport.com and RACER, among others, Joey evolved from the singular task as a freelance writer to advanced roles behind the copy desk and alongside some of the best editorial teams in the business. Recognized as a multi-time award winner by the National Motorsports Press Association, Joey currently resides in Dallas-Fort Worth with his trusty four-legged canine companion, Rocket.