* Lightning brings a halt to qualifying mid-session
* Starting field to be set by entrant points
* Ryan Hunter-Reay to start 7th for Honda, Jack Hawksworth 8th

Honda drivers and teams made an encouraging start in wet-weather qualifying Saturday at NOLA Motorsports Park in preparation for Sunday’s inaugural Indy Grand Prix of New Orleans, but race officials were forced to red flag the session as lightning moved into the area. Continued lightning and thundershowers eventually forced race officials to cancel qualifying, and the field for Sunday’s Verizon IndyCar Series race was set by entrant points.

Had qualifying continued, five Honda drivers – Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, Carlos Munoz, James Jakes and James Hinchcliffe – would have advanced to the second round. With the grid set by entrant points, Hunter-Reay will start seventh, followed by Jack Hawksworth, eighth, and Marco Andretti, 10th.

The second round round of the 16-race 2015 season starts at 3 p.m. EDT Sunday, with live television coverage on the NBC Sports Network.