IndyCar has announced a number of rule changes ahead of the 2018 season which includes a shift in how the points are handed out during qualifying at the prestigious Indianapolis 500.
The number of points handed out during the qualifying session for the Indy 500 has been drastically reduced, only those who qualify for the 'fast nine' shootout will score points, with nine given to the polesitter and one point the ninth-placed driver.
Also included in the changes is a new system of qualifying on ovals circuits except the Indy 500, drivers will run in reverse running order of the championship standings prior to the start of the weekend. If any driver hasn't scored any points prior to the event they will be put at the front of the queue to run, should more than one driver be without points a blind draw will be completed in the same way it is done for the Indy 500 to determine what order they will run.
For those teams who did not participate in the autumn manufacturer test with the universal aero kit are permitted an additional half day of private testing. This testing is limited to one car per team and must take place in conjunction with the team's first on-track test of 2018 and each team will be permitted five hours of track time along with two sets of Firestone tires.
To accommodate for new parts and additional on-car cameras related to the universal aero kit in 2018, the minimum car weight has been increased by 4.5kg to 734kg for road and street courses and short ovals, the weight for superspeedways has also changed to 721kg (both do not include fuel, drink bottle and its contents, driver and driver equivalency weight)
Teams will gather for a series-wide open test at ISM Raceway (Formerly Phoenix) on Feb 9-10, also fans can attend the second day of testing free of charge. The first race of the season gets underway in St.Petersberg on March 11.
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