NASCAR’s product on the oval at IMS has been downright atrocious the past decade at the speedway. On the flip side, the product NASCAR puts on with road course races has been nothing short of phenomenal. Conveniently Indianapolis has a road course in the infield so the two sides got their brain trusts together and agreed to put on a road course race July 4, 2020, a day before the Brickyard 400 on the oval.

Matt DiBenedetto will test at the speedway on January 22nd to help determine runoff areas and what layout will work best for NASCAR. Indianapolis has three possible layouts, so which one will work the best.

Formula 1 Layout

The F1 layout is far above the rest as the best possible layout for NASCAR. Noah Gragson ran this layout on iRacing Wednesday night and overall it looked great. A great braking zone into road course turn 1. A tight twisty section from turn 2 to turn 7 like a Mid-Ohio minus the elevation changes. Another great braking zone at the end of the Hulman Straight (is it still called that?) into turn 8 and then flat out from the exit of turn 11 to the turn 1 braking zone.

Indianapolis Grand Prix Layout

The Indy GP layout is perfect for Indycar. The chicane out of turn 4 is a quick left right that leads into the braking zone at the end of the Hulman Straight. In an effort to keep the speeds down at the end of the front stretch a chicane complex was added. It works well for IndyCar but would be excruciatingly slow for NASCAR. It’s the same reason corners were cut out of the Roval, sometimes sections are just too slow.

MotoGP Layout

The Moto GP layout is the only layout that incorporates every section of the road course. The old F1 corners are used along with the oval turn 1 complex. The difference with Moto GP than the other two is the counterclockwise direction. NASCAR will almost definitely run the circuit clockwise like IndyCar. Incorporating the full layout is also something NASCAR will almost certainly not do. The lap time would be too slow and passing opportunities would be less.

Hopefully on the 22nd Matt D runs the F1 layout, loves it and NASCAR gives it the stamp of approval. It also requires the least amount of setup work. Clearing the cones, and run off area in NASCAR turn 4, as well as securing the wall in NASCAR turn 2 along with swapping out pit exit for the oval are the major items that need to be done.

We’ll know more on the 22nd after the Matt D. test.

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The idea behind this is to make it easier on teams to streamline personnel, save money, and reduce their dependency on specialized pit crews from the Cup Series.

NASCAR’s press release and the subsequent announcement were rather convoluted and a little confusing to follow. Here is a breakdown of what was announced. A full follow up of our thoughts on these changes will be coming.

What Are The Select Races?

Xfinity Series races:

May 30. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

June 13 & Aug 1. Iowa Speedway

Aug. 8 Road America.

Gander Trucks:

June 12 Iowa

Aug. 21 Gateway

Sept. 6 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

What Are The Personel Changes?

Team rosters will not have designated pit crew members. Each series will have a maximum of eight road crew members at each of these races who will also perform over-the-wall duties during pit stops — four to service the car (tires, jack), one fueler and one for driver assistance. The road crew total signifies an increase of one for Xfinity teams and two for Gander Trucks teams.

What Are The Pit Road Changes?

Full Cycle Yellow

Oval: A team may change two tires and add fuel. For a four-tire stop, a team must pit a second time during the caution period.

Road Course: A team may change four tires or add fuel. A team opting for four tires and fuel must make a second trip to pit road.

Quickie Yellow

There will only be one opportunity for all cars to pit.

Oval: Teams may change two tires and add fuel on their only stop on oval tracks during a quickie yellow.

Road Course: Teams may change four tires or add fuel on their only opportunity to stop.

Pit Stop Time Limit

Pit stops under the yellow flag must also be completed within a set time limit, measured from the yellow lines marking pit entry and pit exit. The overall time limit will vary from track to track, dependent on the length of pit road, but the timing of how long a vehicle will be serviced in its stall will be the same at each race.

Restart Lineup

Pretty self-explanatory here: The restart lineup will be based on pit stop strategy. Vehicles that did not pit will line up first, followed by (in order): vehicles that pitted once, those that pitted twice, lap(s)-down vehicles that did not pit, lap(s)-down vehicles that pitted once, lap(s)-down vehicles that pitted twice, free-pass vehicles, wave-around vehicles, and penalized vehicles — an order that should offer its own elements of pit strategy.

Green Flag Pitstops

No time limit will be enforced on green-flag pit stops, except for vehicles on the six-minute Damaged Vehicle Policy clock. Tire changes under green will only be allowed if a vehicle has an incident (a flat tire, spin or crash) verified by race officials. Teams will be permitted to add fuel during a green-flag stop.

Potential Penalties

Teams will be issued a two-lap penalty for violating the restrictions on tire changes and fuel. Teams will be sent to the rear of the field for restarts for exceeding the pit-road time limit and pitting any time other than their designated lap.

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