Blistering heat is forecast for Indy

The majority of practice sessions in the build up to this year's race have been interrupted or cancelled because of rain. The first weekend of qualifying had to be delayed by a week because of rain for the first time since 1983.

However, conditions in Indiana are set to be different for this weekend's race. Clear skies are forecast and temperatures are predicted to reach a sweltering 35 degrees centigrade - just one degree off the all-time record for Indiana in May. The average temperature for the state in May is just 22 degrees.

Conditions for today's Carb Day, the final practice session before Sunday's race, are likely to be at least seven degrees cooler, meaning drivers and teams will spend the early laps in Sunday's race acclimatising to set-up changes on their cars.

"The weather on Sunday is going to be drastically different than anything we've dealt with this whole month, which is going to be a huge part of this," said Indy 500 returnee Michael Andretti.

"Everybody is going to have to work very hard to find the right setup and adjust for the conditions. But, I think we can be a real factor on Sunday and I'm looking forward to it."