The extreme weaving maneuvers that Josef Newgarden employed to secure his first Indianapolis 500 victory last May will no longer be allowed for this year’s event.
While in the lead and defending against Marcus Ericsson on the final lap, Newgarden weaved back and forth down the front and back stretch in order to break the aero tow and to prevent the Swede from easily getting alongside him.
The most extreme weaving was used off of Turn 4, when he placed his Team Penske Chevy below the line used to denote the entrance to pit lane, and below the physical attenuator at the beginning of the pit wall.
He was able to deftly move his car back up to the typical racing line before the start of the barrier, but the danger of his car momentarily heading directly for the barrier was apparent.
Racing that low on the track will be outlawed for this year’s event for safety reasons, with a painted line on the track the most likely indicator of where the limit will be.
Drivers appear to be in favor of the new directive, which will give them a reason to drive in a safer manner while competing for the win.
“This is the right move for the future!” said Newgarden on social media, despite using the maneuvers to take victory last year.
“Boundaries are meant to be pushed, and rules are meant to push back! You should expect to see additional rule changes that will help reign in other driving standards at Indy, without removing the ability for drivers to race hard.”
It is not yet known how severe the penalties will be for a driver that falls foul of the new rule, or exactly how the limit will be enforced.
By and large, blocking is not allowed in IndyCar. The official rulebook is light on specifics, however, only stating “A Driver must not alter his/her racing line to pursuing Drivers.”
Race control has developed its own standard for what constitutes a blocking move, and has generally allowed the ‘Dragon’ weaving maneuver during the past few Indy 500 events.
For now, it seems that will continue to be allowed, with only the extreme dives into the pit lane entrance area being scrutinized.
More details of this latest clarification should come nearer to the running of the 108th Indianapolis 500.
