Start of IndyCar's Music City Grand Prix delayed due to rain, lightning hold
NASHVILLE ‒ Rain and frequent lightning strikes have delayed the start of IndyCar's Music City Grand Prix. The Nashville street race was supposed to go green at 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. local) before strong storms moved in 75 minutes before the scheduled start.
Just after 2:30 p.m. local, the track promoters lifted the shelter-in-place order, allowing fans to emerge from the covered areas of the Tennessee Titans' Nissan Stadium, but an update on when the race might start was not immediately provided. Then, at 3:20 p.m. local, race and series officials lifted the lightning hold, signaling the race would start in roughly 30 minutes, just before 4 p.m. All pre-race lead-up activities beyond the command to start engines have been canceled.
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According to IndyCar personnel, it takes roughly 30 minutes from when teams are allowed to start setting up on pit lane before cars can begin rolling. Sunset is scheduled to come around 7:45 p.m. CT, leaving less than four hours to get in the race that took more than 2 1/2 hours to finish last year. The inaugural race saw nine caution periods ‒ including multiple red flags ‒ on the super-tight, brand-new street course. It has been altered in some spots to help potentially avoid some of the accidents that plagued a year ago.
It's currently unclear whether the race will be a "wet start," in which teams have to start with their rain tires and don't have to run both the primary and alternate Firestone tire compounds. As of 3:20 p.m. CT, there was still rain in the area, with a threat of storms lurking still for a couple more hours.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyCar: Nashville's Music City Grand Prix start delayed for weather
