Extra boost set to spice Indy 500 qualifying

Whether today is remembered as Fast Friday or Floating Friday is still to be determined, but if the rain stays away from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar drivers will be able to put extra horsepower to use as they prepare for qualifying.

The threat of rain hangs over the Brickyard for the next three days, and provided teams are able to venture out for meaningful stretches of Fast Friday, and during time trials to set the field of 33 on Saturday and Sunday, the 15 Chevy-powered cars and 18-Honda powered entries will rely on additional turbocharger boost to set higher average lap speeds.

The actual horsepower spike varies heavily based on ambient conditions, although both Chevy and Honda are willing to put the number in the 30-40 hp range. With the temporary increase from 1.3 bar (18.84 psi) to 1.4 bar (20.29 psi) for Friday through the end of qualifying, speeds should rise from the best of 226.744 mph set by Jay Howard on Thursday to slightly north of 230 mph if the conditions are favorable.

Teams were able to hit the track at 12 p.m. today in qualifying trim and had 14 minutes of running before sprinkles triggered the first caution. During the brief outing, Chip Ganassi Racing's Tony Kanaan turned a no-tow lap of 231.054 mph. Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay recorded a 232.132 mph lap with a tow, and with showers on the way, teams will be rushing to learn all they can.

"I think most of this week preparation is all for race setup and you're typically at the [1.3 bar] boost, which is the lower boost and the speeds ... four to five miles an hour slower I think than race situation," said CGR's Scott Dixon. "I think Fast Friday is significant. I think it's definitely a big step for the drivers, for the teams, for everybody and even for a fan to see how fast they go through the corners on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So it's a significant jump."