INDYCAR: Track changes to make for 'exciting race'

The old pit lane is now part of the front straightaway. The pits are narrowest on the circuit (35 feet) and snake around in an inverted S. Drivers used to turn right at Turn 10 to enter the pits; now they turn left in Turn 8. Drivers used to exit the pits on the right and blend in, but now they blend in from the right – more or less in the groove for Turn 1. The wall in Turn 8 was been moved back with no curbing, and Turns 9, 10 and 11 are tighter than Bobby Unser.

"You've got to understand that a third of the track is completely different than what we've been running forever and it's really, really challenging," said local favorite James Hinchcliffe. "It's so narrow coming through 11 I can't see any way to get side-by-side for the start so we're going to need a late green and a late acceleration zone in order to have a chance."

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Construction has increased the track length at Exhibition Place to 1.786 miles but has greatly changed the flow of the second longest-running street course in the Verizon IndyCar series.

"The track has changed and I like it better," points leader Simon Pagenaud said after turning the day's fastest lap. "I like the fact Turn 10 is off-camber so all of the sudden you really have to think about it. OK, how am I going to make this corner? I'm not used to this.

"I may be different than most but I like changes. I like slippery places because you really have to place your car the right way and dance with it. If you're not inches precise, then you're going to hit the wall."

Just ask Juan Pablo Montoya, who clipped the inside of Turn 11 and pounded the outside wall early in the second practice period. Charlie Kimball did the same thing in about the same spot but didn't incur as much damage.

"I went in a little out of shape and caught a piece of the wall and I ricocheted across the track," said Montoya. "Sometimes there's not enough time to recover from mistake on a street course and it's a tight section, but it is what it is."

The pits are concerning for the outside tire changers because of the serpentine pit lane and narrow boxes, so IndyCar lowered the pit speed from 50 to 40mph.

"It's very unique certainly," said Hinchcliffe, who has the first pit stall and a straight shot. "Ultimately we made do with what we had to work with. I can't fault the promoters at all for what we had to do in pit lane there. Some pit boxes are definitely worse than others in terms of angles getting in, in terms of the smorgasbord of patches and surfaces and unevenness that are in them. It kind of is what it is.

"But it's going to be tricky. If we have the pits open under caution it's going to get interesting for sure."

As for the race itself, Turn 3 (pictured, showing Marco Andretti) at the end of Lake Shore Blvd. remains one of the best passing places in all of IndyCar, and the refigured, tight, slippery Turn 11 could prove to be an added opportunity.

"I think Turn 11 is better for passing because, yeah, it's so hard to get right that there will be a speed differentiation. If the guy behind you manages to get it right, on push to pass, it could have more of an effect," Pagenaud said. "Restarts, I also think it's going to be a very tricky corner, very tricky section on cold tires. There will be a lot of action in Turn 1 now. So I think it's a plus.

"It's going to be an exciting race."