Indy Car racing, and CART in particular, could learn a lesson or two from NASCAR when it comes to restarting a race after a caution period. It is a prime opportunity for CART to create some spectacular passing opportunities, and change the entire complexity of the race. In the past restarts were exciting, now they are nothing more than a follow-the-leader procession back to full racing speeds. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that when it comes to fan entertainment (the fan, you know, the paying customer) NASCAR knows how to do things right, and restarts are one of them.

In NASCAR, at the end of a caution period, the field is brought down very slowly behind the pace car, in neatly aligned rows of two, to the green flag. The front row is not allowed to accelerate until the green flag is unfurled, which is held until the cars are nearly to the starters stand. This almost ensures that the field is very tightly bunched as they barrel down to the first turn and they stay that way several turns thereafter. Essentially NASCAR restarts their races exactly the same way they start their races, except the rows of two are determined by cars on the lead lap lined up next to lapped cars. Where no cars are lapped, cars lineup in rows of two as determined by their track position.

CART Tried a Half-Hearted Attempt Once Before

Two years ago, CART tried to improve their restarts on oval tracks by lining cars on the lead lap up in single file to one side, and lapped cars in single file next to them, except near the end of the race where the lapped cars would line up directly behind the cars on the lead lap.. The idea had some merit but was quickly abandoned because it caused some confusion in getting the cars in the proper order before going green. Much of the confusion was the result of drivers and teams not being used to a new procedure, a procedure that was not consistent at all races. NASCAR can line a 40 plus car field up with little trouble, yet CART can’t? Hogwash, make a rule and stick to it. Eventually everyone will be accustomed to it and things will run smoothly.

Another mistake CART made was they still allowed the leader to control the restart pace, rather than the pace car. NASCAR restarts work so well because 1) they use the same procedure for all races and all support series, 2) the pace car stays in control until the very last minute, and 3) the restart speed to very slow and the pack is tightly bunched.

A Proposed Solution for CART

Per the CART rulebook, the current start restart procedures are:

6.20 STARTING THE RACE.

6.20.1. It is the responsibility of the driver of the lead race car to allow the pace car to accelerate away from the field. When the pace car has accelerated away from the field, the driver of the lead car will with consistency increase speed in order to allow all drivers in the field to accelerate in a like manner in order to avoid large gaps or congestion prior to the display of the green flag. Drivers are to respect the position of the other drivers around them, not encroach on their position and remain in their assigned row until the green flag has been displayed and they have crossed the starting line.

6.22. REALIGNMENT AND RESTART PROCEDURES.

6.22.1. When track conditions permit all competitors between the pace car and the race leader will be passed around to join the end of the pack up. Passed around competitors may not pit. No other reorganization of the field will occur except when specifically instructed by the officials. Once the reorganization plan has been declared, it will not be modified if a competitor enters the pit lane, falls off the pace or falls out of line.

6.22.2. Restart will be single file. It is the responsibility of the driver of the lead car to allow the pace car to accelerate away from the field. When the pace car has accelerated away from the field, the driver of the lead car will, with consistency, increase speed in order to allow all drivers in the field to accelerate in a like manner to avoid large gaps or congestion prior to the display of the green flag. Drivers are to respect the position of other drivers around them and not encroach on the position of other driver(s) until the green flag has been displayed. The restart of the race will be pursuant to 6.20.1. - Drivers must remain in order, as positioned, until the green flag has been displayed. On restarts, passing is allowed upon the display of the green flag.

6.22. PROPOSED NEW REALIGNMENT AND RESTART PROCEDURES.

6.22.1. When track conditions permit all competitors between the pace car and the race leader will be passed around to join the end of the pack up. Passed around competitors may not pit. No other reorganization of the field will occur except when specifically instructed by the officials. The cars will reorganize in rows of two based on the following:

Once the reorganization plan has been declared, it will not be modified if a competitor enters the pit lane, falls off the pace or falls out of line.

6.22.2. Restart will be single double file. It is the responsibility of the driver of the lead car to allow the pace car to accelerate away from the field. When the pace car has accelerated away from the field, the driver of the lead car will, with consistency, increase speed in order to allow all drivers in the field to accelerate in a like manner to avoid large gaps or congestion prior to the display of the green flag. Drivers are to respect the position of other drivers around them and not encroach on the position of other driver(s) until the green flag has been displayed. It is the responsibility of the driver of the lead race car to allow the pace car to accelerate away from the field. When the pace car has accelerated away from the field, the driver of the lead car will maintain a consistent speed (usually in the range of 60 to 80 mph) in order to allow all drivers in the field to bunch up prior to the display of the green flag. Drivers are to respect the position of the other drivers around them, not encroach on their position and remain in their assigned row until the green flag has been displayed. Drivers shall maintain approximately one-car length separation between their car and the car in front of them. The restart of the race will be pursuant to 6.20.1 ‘Starting the Race’. - Drivers must remain in order, as positioned, until the green flag has been displayed. Whereas at the start when no driver can pass until crossing the S/F line, on restarts, passing is allowed upon the display of the green flag, which is at the discretion of the starter when it is felt the cars are appropriately aligned. If any driver accelerates prior to the green being displayed, the track will remain yellow. Should it be deemed that a driver purposely violated these restart procedures when there is only one lap remaining in the race to prevent the race from finishing under green, they shall be subject to disqualification from the event.

What the Naysayers Will Say

The proposed new procedure for CART is almost identical to NASCAR’s restart procedures. Here is what the naysayers will say and what CART’s response should be:

1. Q. There is some inherent danger in what has been proposed because bunching up the pack like NASCAR does leads to a better chance of contact, something that is very undesirable with open wheel race cars. Won’t that lead to more accidents? A. Essentially every restart will be just like the start of the race, a very intense but exciting moment. Champ car drivers are paid professionals. They should be able to restart races in the same manner that they start a race. We view this as good for our fans, the paying customer.

2. Q. Isn’t it unfair that a lapped car(s) who otherwise would be behind the leader(s) of the race, now gain an advantage of starting side-by-side with cars on the lead lap and have a greater chance of possibly unlapping themselves? A. Possibly, but the roles might be reversed in other races. It has worked well for NASCAR for many years and the competitors accept it as part of race strategy and race luck. It certainly provides more opportunity for a fast car that lost a lap to regain that lap. We view this as good for our fans, the paying customer.

3. Q. Isn’t it possible that a lapped car will now get between the race leaders and spoil an overtaking opportunity near the end of the race? A. It is clear that current procedures have not resulted in many overtaking maneuvers. Near the end of a race, we would expect that out of professional courtesy, lapped cars will move over and give the leaders of the race room to maneuver once the track goes green, similar to what you see in NASCAR. We view this as good for our fans, the paying customer.

4. Q. Won’t this new procedure cause too much confusion getting the cars lined up properly, resulting in a possible delay in the restart? A. If NASCAR can do it with over 40 cars, we should be able to do it with 28. If it is instituted in all CART’s ladder series, much like NASCAR does, Champ Car drivers and teams will be familiar with the procedures. We would expect that once this procedure is used for several races, all competitors will find it to be second nature. We also expect that on occasion, race control will have to intervene to get the cars in proper order, but that is no different than what occurs today when there is a disagreement as to running order. With all the sophisticated timing and scoring in use today in CART, each team will know their relative position and be able to radio to their driver which car should be immediately ahead and behind. Once the drivers get the one lap to go signal, we would expect them to be alert and quickly lineup in their proper position. We view this as good for our fans, the paying customer.

5. Q. With all the horsepower current Champ Cars have and the proposed slow restart speeds and bunching up, isn’t there a danger that some driver will lose control by being overly aggressive with the throttle, resulting in many cars being eliminated from contact? A. Similar to answer 1 above, we view restarts as no more difficult than the start of a race when drivers are on cold tires. We would expect them to take as much caution on restarts as they do on starts. We view this as good for our fans, the paying customer.

6. Q. Isn’t it unfair to the leader who has worked so hard to gain an advantage, to not only have that advantage wiped out by the caution flag, but to also have the 2^nd place car directly behind him with no lapped cars as a cushion? A. Possibly, but the roles might be reversed in other races. It has worked well for NASCAR for many years and the competitors accept it as part of race strategy and race luck. It certainly provides more opportunity for changes in position on the track. We view this as good for our fans, the paying customer.

We view the NASCAR restart procedure as good for the 'show' the fans get for their money.  If CART wants to have more exciting, close finishes like NASCAR, it can start by changing the restart procedures, at least on the oval tracks.