The NTT IndyCar Series has announced a change to the series’ Push to Pass system with immediate effect.
Starting at this weekend’s race on the Indianapolis road course, drivers will have access to the Push to Pass system as soon as a restart occurs.
There is no longer a lockout period at the end of a caution period, and the system will be available at all times. The lockout from the start of the race through most of the first lap remains in effect.
The rule change comes after the Push to Pass system was mistakenly left available to drivers during a restart at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, during which 12 drivers used the system then it would normally have been disallowed.
IndyCar ruled that the mistaken availability was the fault of the series itself, and no punishments were levied to those that used the system incorrectly.
The occurrence effectively served as a trial run for letting drivers activate the system on restarts, however, and the change has been written into the rules going forward.
“The Push to Pass software failure at the Streets of Long Beach allowed IndyCar an opportunity to fully review the rules of the system and consider any improvements, including leaving Push to Pass available on restarts,” series President Doug Boles said.
“Push to Pass is a driver and team enhancement, which has evolved since its introduction in 2009, and – working with stakeholders – we believe it’s time for this additional update.
“While maybe ironic on how we transitioned to this procedural revision, we look forward to seeing how this new opportunity to use Push to Pass will enhance strategy and the potential for even more wheel-to-wheel action.”
The same activation time limits remain in place, with 200 total seconds of activation allocated for this week’s upcoming event.
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