The complexion of this Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 may have been altered considerably today with word that the IZOD IndyCar Series will allow 15 push-to-pass boosts during the race (1 p.m. ET, ABC). Each boost will last for 18 seconds and have a ten-second blackout between each one according to IndyCar president of competition Brian Barnhart’s comments to the AP.
I heard the story while listening to 1070 The Fan on my way into Indy, and I’m a little mixed about it. They could be a serious weapon if they’re used judiciously. Not only that, I’m reminded of Vitor Meira’s comments on the draft — namely, that if you can see the car, you’re getting air off it. A well-timed boost can get one driver right up to another and make things real interesting in a hurry. At the same time, if you’re a front-runner, that “push-to-pass” becomes “push-to-defend.” I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot of that going on and the whole thing becoming pointless as a result.
However, this will also be the first Indy 500 with the new aerodynamic package that was instituted last summer in IndyCar. How much will that help the racing even if two drivers are on the boost at the same time and negating the whole purpose?
In short, there’s a lot of questions to think about on this topic. We’ll have to wait a few days for the answer.
