Rain wipes out Thursday Indy practice

"I don't think it would be Indy if you didn't have weather," 2004 winner Buddy Rice said. "I think that's what makes this place so unique - you never know what you're going to get.

"This track - its layout, the rules, the atmosphere - everything is unique. It wouldn't be the month of May if we didn't have some down time due to weather."

The veterans have had just six hours of practice time this week. Rookies and transitional drivers have had three days, but say they need more.

"We need the track time to continue our development of the car, and this rain just isn't helping," said Enrique Bernoldi. "It makes for long days just sitting around waiting. I'm not used to this."

The day was filled with other news and photo ops, most notably Larry Curry's hiring by Roth Racing, just days after he was fired by Tony George and Vision Racing for his role in a rules violation during qualifying in the season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

"I had a great three-and-a-half years at Vision Racing, and I want to thank Tony George for his support over the years," Curry said. "I now look forward to a long tenure with Roth Racing and to the challenges of helping to build the team into a competitive, first-class organization."

Drivers and teams are expected to be limited again by weather Friday, as forecasts indicate rain will return to the track around 3 p.m. ET. Conditions are expected to clear for Saturday's qualifying session, which will determine the first 11 positions on the 33-car starting grid.

Friday's practice session is scheduled to start at noon.