IndyCar has announced that it will no longer award double points at the Indianapolis 500.
It will be welcome news among drivers, who have long bemoaned the controversial rule.
From 2014 to 2022, the winner of the race was awarded 100 points rather than the 50 on offer at every other race.
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Despite the fact that no Indianapolis 500 winner over that period went on to win the title, those who didn’t fare so well in the race spent the rest of the season playing catch up.
In 2022, Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin failed to finish the race after he crashed out of 11th place, eventually classified 29th.
Had he finished in 11th he could have ended the season in second overall.
In 2021, McLaughlin’s teammate Josef Newgarden would have beaten Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou to the title on a tiebreak if not for double points.
In a statement, IndyCar said there was a feeling that the rule had overly penalised full-time teams that performed poorly in the 200-lapper.
“For 17 consecutive seasons, the IndyCar Series championship has been decided in the final race of the season,” said IndyCar Series president Jay Frye.
“While double points at the Indianapolis 500 has not altered who won the season-long championship, occasionally it has had a negative effect on the final position of the full-time teams.
“As our entry list grows, this move will provide consistency for teams competing for championship positions while not diminishing the importance of ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.'”
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Points will still be awarded in qualifying at the Indianapolis 500 for first through to 12th.
That system will remain unchanged, with pole position earning 12 points down to one point for 12th.
One point is awarded for leading a lap of the race while two points are given to who leads the most laps.
Under the new rules, the largest gap that can be created from first to last is 60 points (65 versus five)rather than 105 (115 versus 10).
This year’s Indianapolis 500 takes place on May 27.
The IndyCar Series gets underway with its season opener on March 6 on the streets of St Petersburg.
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