IndyCar postponed the finish of Race 1 at the Milwaukee Mile after rain halted the Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 before half distance.
The race had already started after an earlier weather delay, with Pato O’Ward leading the field to green from pole. Josef Newgarden challenged him immediately on the run to Turn 1, but O’Ward held the lead as the field settled into the opening stint.
Felix Rosenqvist then emerged as one of the strongest cars in the early phase of the 2026 IndyCar Race 1 in Milwaukee. The Meyer Shank Racing driver moved past Newgarden for second before taking the lead from O’Ward as traffic began to shape the race.
O’Ward later fought back during the first pit cycle. After Rosenqvist initially maintained his advantage, O’Ward used traffic to his benefit and moved back ahead, retaking the lead before the weather worsened.
Alexander Rossi also gained from the pit sequence and moved into third, putting himself in a strong position before the race came under caution.
Rain brings out the red flag
Race Control brought out a full course yellow as rain began to fall at the Milwaukee Mile. Officials also displayed the slippery surface flag, with drivers circulating behind the pace car while teams tried to understand how long the weather would affect the race.
As the rain intensified, Race Control stopped the race under red flag. IndyCar confirmed track-drying efforts were underway after showers halted the race after 91 of the scheduled 250 laps. The series also stated that once the race resumed, it would either run to the full distance or until 8:30pm ET, whichever came first. Under the IndyCar rulebook, the race would become official once the leader completed 126 laps.
O’Ward led when the red flag came out, with Rosenqvist second and Rossi third.
Race to resume on Sunday morning
After the delay continued, IndyCar confirmed that the race would not resume on Saturday evening.
Instead, Race 1 will be completed on Sunday at 9am ET. The INDY NXT race will follow once the remaining laps are finished, before the IndyCar Series returns to the Milwaukee Mile for Race 2 later in the day.
The decision creates a packed Sunday schedule and leaves the Race 1 result unresolved overnight, with O’Ward, Rosenqvist and Rossi set to lead the field back to green when the race resumes.
