Pictures: Official Indianapolis 500 practice begins

After Tuesday’s running was cancelled due to rain, the official practice period for the Indianapolis 500 began yesterday.

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The 34-strong field have two more days of practice before qualifying for the race takes places this weekend. One of those will be eliminated, leaving 34 cars on the grid.

Nine previous winners are vying to be among those who occupy those places. They are Helio Castroneves, Alexander Rossi, Marcus Ericsson, Scott Dixon, Takuma Sato, Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Simon Pagenaud and Tony Kanaan.

Four drivers are attempting to tackle the race for the first time: RC Enerson, Sting Ray Robb, Benjamin Pedersen and Agustin Canapino – the latter racing a livery in tribute to Argentina’s world cup-winning football team.