Amid a plethora of discussions and worries over the muddle that ensues after Turn 1 of Portland International Raceway in the event of an incident, IndyCar has sent around a memo explaining how the stewards will react and deal with the running order.
There has already been an extra chicane installed inside the triangular runoff area, to ensure drivers who outbrake themselves into Turn 1 – or can’t negotiate their way through to the T1 and T2 apices due to crashed cars at corner entry – must negotiate a tortuous path between temporary barriers. IndyCar has calculated it takes more than two seconds longer to do this than to stay on the racing surface, so no advantage can be gained by cars that go straight on and rejoin the track at Turn 3.
Today’s memo explains the ordering procedure after an incident, with IndyCar reordering the field according to the following priorities:
- Cars that properly followed the race course will be set in order according to the last timeline crossed under green-flag conditions.
- Cars that properly utilized the runoff chicanes will blend back into field based on crossing data established at the last green timeline.
- Cars that were involved in the incident.
IndyCar then clarified that cars that utilized the runoff chicanes will be judged to have gone off-track and thus priority will be given to cars that remained on the racing surface.
Cars that then failed to navigate the chicanes in the Turn 1 runoff will be subject to further penalty.
IndyCar has, however, already taken steps to avoid Lap 1 / Turn 1 incidents by allowing the polesitter – in today’s case, Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske-Chevrolet – to accelerate from the exit of the final corner, Turn 12. The hope is that although the field will arrive at Turn 1 at higher speed than in recent years – nearer full racing speed, in fact – the field will have spaced out enough that there is less likelihood of a multi-car accident at the first turn.
