Photo: Karl Zemlin
The schedule for this weekend’s Indy Nxt round at the Gateway oval has been revised due to ongoing rain at the circuit this morning.
Free practice has been pushed back from midday to a 2:15pm start time on Saturday, and qualifying will now begin at 6pm rather than 3:30pm.
Despite the banking of Gateway helping drainage of the circuit, wet-weather running on ovals is rarely attempted with single-seater cars and although Indy Nxt’s sessions have been moved to anticipated drier periods they will be at risk of being moved again since IndyCar’s track action this weekend needs to take priority.
Ahead of the round getting underway, Indy Nxt also announced it had issued penalties to Andretti Global driver James Roe Jr.
Last time out in Detroit, Roe went a lap down in the race and following caution periods “was ordered and twice failed to take the final lap restart at the rear of the field alongside other lapped cars”. While ignoring those calls, he also blocked Abel Motorsports with Miller Vinatieri Motorsports driver Jack William Miller when he was trying to lap him.
Roe has now been placed on probation for this weekend and the next two rounds at Road America Mid-Ohio, and will not be allowed to participate in qualifying at Gateway. He will therefore start from last place, on a set of tyres he will use in practice.
The 26-year-old Irishman is in his fourth Indy Nxt campaign and is currently 16th in the standings with a best finish of 10th. He is in his third year with Andretti, having come seventh and sixth in the last two seasons.