A call could be made to switch from double-file to single-file with the new restart zone
This weekend, NASCAR is returning to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. And, restarts will look different from year’s past.
On road courses, the restart zone is typically on the front straight, leading toward the flagstand. In Chicago, NASCAR moved the restart zone backward, before the final corner on the circuit.
The idea behind moving it back was to space out the cars before reaching turn one. That was done to eliminate big pileups into the opening corner.
And this weekend, NASCAR will bring the same game plan to Indianapolis. Yet, if that doesn’t work, NASCAR will call for single file restarts…
Elton Sawyer comments on the restart zone
“We have one data point by moving the restart zone,” Elton Sawyer stated via Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
“Chicago, I think our drivers did a great job there. We dealt with weather there as well, so we were single file restarts. And, the start of the race was single file because we had wet conditions.”
“The goal would be to clean up the carnage in turn one. By backing it up, giving guys the opportunity to get going. Maybe the first two, three rows, they’ve earned the right to have a little bit of an advantage and we want to give them that.”
“We will start the weekend with double-file restarts. If things happen that we feel like we need to call an audible and go to single-file, we have the ability to do that.”
“But, our race fans have come to really enjoy double-file restarts. We don’t want to take that away unless there’s a real need to do that.”
“The goal is to remove some of the carnage in turn one. I feel like we accomplished that in Chicago.”
“Watkins Glen, they’ll be no change there. The restart zone will be in the same place it was in 2022. We’ll re-access as we get to the Roval, on what we need to do there as well.”
