Qualifying for Indy 500 delayed by rain

UPDATE: Each driver will get just one attempt.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The start of Indianapolis 500 qualifications have been delayed by rain.

Just minutes before the scheduled start, the public address announcer told fans to implement their safety plans and cars would be towed back to their garages. Heavy rain saturated the 2.5-mile oval about 15 minutes later.

The track is scheduled to remain open for qualifying through 6 p.m. But radar showed rain stretching west across the Indiana-Illinois state line, likely leading to a long delay.

Only a smattering of cars participated in the morning practice, which was run in chilly, overcast conditions. It was a stark contrast to the warm, sunny, breezy days that drivers dealt with most of this week.