With a wet race declared on the damp track, the drivers looked very tentative on the three warm-up laps, looking out for the puddles and trying to figure out the potential passing zones. Drying lines were emerging on both the front and back straights, the track temp rising to 87degF, but the twists of Turns 7 through 10 still looked treacherous.
The start was very clean, but Will Power got passed on either side by Alex Palou (outside) and Josef Newgarden inside into Turn 7, while Pato O’Ward moved up behind them.
