Rain washed out practice for the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on Wednesday.

"The rain forced us to cancel practice, but this is pretty normal for the first week of May in Indianapolis," said IndyCar star Danica Patrick, one of the drivers itching to get going on preparations for the 25 May race.

With more rain in the forecast for Thursday, "Fast Friday" could become hectic for teams hoping to fill the top 11 positions on Pole Day qualifying on Saturday.

"Obviously, we hoped that we would be able to get back on the track today to continue working on the Team Penske car, but unfortunately Mother Nature had other plans," said Ryan Briscoe, fourth-fastest on Tuesday. "Tomorrow doesn't look good, either."

The rain was a blow for the drivers from teams making the transition from the former Champ Car Series, which unified with IndyCar in February.

"I think if the conditions are not ideal, the more experienced guys know how to deal with that quicker than we do," said England's Justin Wilson of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.

AFP