Loose bricks. The problem, which occurred in the front straightaway underneath the flag stand, prompted track workers to scramble into position for repair work and track officials to end practice 17 minutes early.
More than an hour later, track workers were still working feverishly underneath a tent with dust flying up around them.
The famed yard of bricks is the track’s signature feature, a symbol from the days nearly a century ago when cars raced on a brick surface on the 2.5-mile oval instead of pavement.
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And series officials, who couldn’t remember the last time something like this occurred, refused to take any chances at rushing the job before qualifying resumes Saturday.
“We need to make sure it’s right for tomorrow,” said Brian Barnhart, the IndyCar Series’ president of competition and race operations. “I think that’s a first for us around here. We’re awfully proud of the yard of bricks around here, and I think that’s the first time it’s caused a delay in practice.”
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