IndyCar Series tweaks schedules, rules ahead of new season

The Verizon IndyCar Series announced a number of changes for the 2017 season that will standardize some of its event schedules and attempt to improve aspects of its open-wheel product.

The first move of note involves setting standard practice times of 45 minutes at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. (local) on the Friday of each road and street course. Other road/street course schedule adjustments were also made, with the Grand Prix of Indianapolis being shortened from three days to two, and the lone double-header on the calendar at Detroit's Belle Isle will have its qualifying process simplified. Rather than use a knockout-style procedure for the first race and a separate process for the second, individual qualifying sessions for each race will be held. In those sessions, half the field will be given 12 minutes to qualify before the other half qualifies, and the starting order will be set on fastest times.

Short oval qualifying has been moved to race day at Phoenix and Gateway; both races take place on Saturday nights.

IndyCar has also given its drivers an extra set of Firestone's sticky alternate (red) tires on road and street courses, moving the total to four sets. Under the previous allotment plan, teams would conserve their reds, which tend to wear faster than the standard tires, prior to qualifying. With an extra set, teams can conduct qualifying simulations in final practice without major concerns about going into race day with high-mileage reds. It should also help rookie drivers, who tend to struggle to maximize the extra grip from the reds, to gain valuable experience on the tires before qualifying takes place.

The series also announced its push-to-pass boost and duration plans, and revealed a new twist to the overtake rules. A move from a fixed number of uses to a fixed amount of total time the extra 60 hp is available per race was confirmed, and according to IndyCar, the "events at the streets of St. Petersburg, Raceway at Belle Isle Park and Sonoma Raceway will have a total overtake time allotment of 150 seconds for each race, with the other road/street races set for 200 seconds."

IndyCar will now allow drivers to halt the supply of extra boost.

"Once engaged, push-to-pass will run for a pre-established duration equivalent to approximately the time needed to drive the length of the track's main straightaway (15-20 seconds)," the series wrote. "Drivers will now have the ability to disengage an overtake activation midway through its use to save time for a later use. In addition, push-to-pass will not be available at the start of a race or for any restarts, with the exception of a restart commencing with two laps remaining in the race."