Mother Nature had other plans for the Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis, as persistent rain forced officials to postpone Friday's qualifying session. The wet weather, which left standing water on the racing surface, pushed qualifying to Saturday morning at 10:45 a.m. ET, while the 85-lap main event remains on track for its scheduled 4:57 p.m. start on FOX and IndyCar Radio.
Despite the delay, the spirit of competition remained undampened. A.J. Foyt Racing's Santino Ferrucci, eager to hit the wet track, declared, "I love racing in the rain. It's the purest form of driving—when you're one with the car, you can go pretty quick." Meanwhile, Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward saw the changing conditions as a potential turning point after a tough practice session. "Maybe the universe is giving us an opportunity to go out there and execute," he said. "It's been a very strange weekend performance-wise, but we'll be ready for whatever they throw at us."
The revised Saturday schedule is packed with action: USF 2000 Race 2 kicks off at 8:00 a.m. ET, followed by USF Pro 2000 Race 1 at 8:55 a.m. Qualifying coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. on FS2 and FOX One, before shifting to FS1 at 11:30 a.m. The warmup session originally set for 11:40 a.m. has been canceled. Additional races include USF 2000 Race 3 at 12:30 p.m., USF Pro 2000 Race 2 at 1:20 p.m., and the 30-lap INDY NXT by Firestone doubleheader race at 2:38 p.m.
On the dry side of things, four-time series champion Alex Palou, driving the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, is chasing his fourth consecutive victory in the sixth event of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series calendar. He dominated both Friday practice sessions in dry conditions, setting himself up as the one to beat.
And in a story that feels destined for Indianapolis lore, Enzo Fittipaldi—the 24-year-old scion of racing royalty—added his name to the Speedway's history books. Driving the No. 67 HM entry, Fittipaldi claimed victory in Friday's Indy NXT by Firestone race on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course, proving once again that the Fittipaldi name and Indianapolis just go hand in hand.