What is Push to Pass?

Push to Pass is IndyCar’s on-demand power boost system: a strategic tool drivers use to gain a short burst of extra power, primarily for overtaking or defending a position. 

How it physically works 

Push to Pass increases turbocharger boost pressure on the twin-turbo V6, temporarily raising horsepower output above the normal race setting. The driver activates it by pressing a button on the steering wheel. 

On road and street courses, it also works alongside the hybrid system's energy deployment, so drivers are managing two separate power-adders together in those events. 

Allocation and limits 

Drivers get a fixed, limited amount of Push to Pass to use across a race, typically measured in total seconds of usage. The exact allocation varies by event, but it's commonly somewhere in the range of 150-200 seconds total for a road/street course race. 

Once a driver presses the button, it counts down; drivers can use it in one long burst or break it into several shorter activations, however they choose to manage it. When the allocation runs out, it's gone for the rest of the race. There's no refilling it. 

Push to Pass is generally not available on superspeedways (like the Indy 500) for safety reasons, since the raw speeds and drafting dynamics there make an unpredictable power boost too risky. It's mainly a road course and street circuit tool, and used more sparingly on short ovals. 

Strategic dimension  

Drivers have to decide when to spend their limited allocation. Early to build a gap and control the race? Save it for late-race battles? Or use it defensively when someone's attacking them? (Bearing in mind that both the attacking and defending driver can use it simultaneously, which potentially cancels out much of the advantage.)

Teams and engineers monitor a rival's remaining Push to Pass time, which adds a layer of tension: a driver who's burned through their allocation early is vulnerable late in a race to someone who saved theirs. 

Restarts are a common flashpoint – drivers often deploy Push to Pass right at a restart to try to gain track position immediately.