Nine-car Texas IndyCar test called off due to cold weather

For Firestone to green-light IndyCar track action, the combined temperature of air and track surface must total 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Today’s air temperature in the Fort Worth area where TMS is located is only 45degF, and is forecast to only edge over 50degF around 5.00pm.

With next week’s Xpel 375, second round of the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series, set to start at 11.45am, track conditions in the early evening of today were unlikely to be representative of what the drivers will encounter in the race. Tomorrow’s weather is set to be even colder.

Consequently, Chip Ganassi Racing’s quartet – Alex Palou, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson and Jimmie Johnson – who were all due to run today, will now use their allocated test day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course instead.

However, the five Chevrolet drivers – Team Penske’s Will Power, Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin, and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay and Conor Daly – will return to TMS on Thursday, when temperatures are supposed to reach 70degF. It does mean that Chevrolet will not have another point of comparison with Honda with their BorgWarner turbos running at 1.3-bar boost until next month’s open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The two manufacturers did amass data from last week’s test for oval rookies, in which the Hondas topped the speeds without the aid of a tow.