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Old news, but I thought I'd post anyways. Should be interesting....
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110302/IRL/110309972
The Izod IndyCar Series' Firestone Twin 275 races at Texas Motor Speedway will be identical in almost every way when the series competes there twice on the same day on June 11, with one significant exception: Both races will pay half the points and half the bonus prizes for the event as a whole, but the field for the second race will be set by a blind draw.
IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard and Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage announced last August--almost 20 years after Rick Mears won both races of a CART double-header at Atlanta Motor Speedway--that IndyCar would revisit the twin-race format this year.
The Firestone Twin 275s (formerly the Firestone 550k) will consist of two full-field races on the 1.5-mile, high-banked oval. Traditional oval qualifying will be held to set the grid for race one. The blind draw to set the grid for race two will take place immediately following the conclusion of the first race. Teams will have one hour of preparation time between each race.
Each race winner will receive 25 points, down to five points for the 25th-place and subsequent finishers (all half points compared with standard IndyCar races). The driver leading the most laps in each race will earn two bonus points, but the driver starting on the pole in race two won't receive the one point that the first-race pole winner receives after two-lap qualifying. Half bonus money--$17,500 for first place down to $5,000 for fifth--also will be allocated.
Additionally, entrants will use the same pit locations, based upon qualifying results for the Indianapolis 500, for both races. Because of the brief amount of time between Indy and Texas, each team (distinguished from entry and entrant) will receive one additional engine for use as needed with its entries in race two.
“We want to keep the format of this event as exciting as possible for our fans as we revive this open-wheel tradition,” said Brian Barnhart, IndyCar's president of competition and operations. “With the starting field for the second race set by random draw, you could see the winner from the first race starting from the back of the field, creating quite a bit of drama.
“Also, if a car suffers damage and fails to finish the first race, there will be an opportunity for the driver to rejoin in the second race as we will have extra engines available for use in their backup chassis. We want to make sure we're ensuring a strong field for race two to keep the excitement and momentum going throughout the entire event.”
Gossage said: “You have to love the open-mindedness of the IndyCar officials for randomly selecting the starting lineup of the second Firestone Twin 275. It guarantees a real jumble, an incredible shootout in the second race. Different strategies are going to be employed for each race. What a night of racing this will be.”
The double-header format is certainly not new: There were 17 double-headers (nine on ovals) sanctioned by USAC and CART from 1967 to 1981, with a driver sweeping both races 10 times. The grid for the second race was determined by finishing order in the first contest in all 17 events.
Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110302/IRL/110309972#ixzz1HI4q5M8K
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110302/IRL/110309972
The Izod IndyCar Series' Firestone Twin 275 races at Texas Motor Speedway will be identical in almost every way when the series competes there twice on the same day on June 11, with one significant exception: Both races will pay half the points and half the bonus prizes for the event as a whole, but the field for the second race will be set by a blind draw.
IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard and Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage announced last August--almost 20 years after Rick Mears won both races of a CART double-header at Atlanta Motor Speedway--that IndyCar would revisit the twin-race format this year.
The Firestone Twin 275s (formerly the Firestone 550k) will consist of two full-field races on the 1.5-mile, high-banked oval. Traditional oval qualifying will be held to set the grid for race one. The blind draw to set the grid for race two will take place immediately following the conclusion of the first race. Teams will have one hour of preparation time between each race.
Each race winner will receive 25 points, down to five points for the 25th-place and subsequent finishers (all half points compared with standard IndyCar races). The driver leading the most laps in each race will earn two bonus points, but the driver starting on the pole in race two won't receive the one point that the first-race pole winner receives after two-lap qualifying. Half bonus money--$17,500 for first place down to $5,000 for fifth--also will be allocated.
Additionally, entrants will use the same pit locations, based upon qualifying results for the Indianapolis 500, for both races. Because of the brief amount of time between Indy and Texas, each team (distinguished from entry and entrant) will receive one additional engine for use as needed with its entries in race two.
“We want to keep the format of this event as exciting as possible for our fans as we revive this open-wheel tradition,” said Brian Barnhart, IndyCar's president of competition and operations. “With the starting field for the second race set by random draw, you could see the winner from the first race starting from the back of the field, creating quite a bit of drama.
“Also, if a car suffers damage and fails to finish the first race, there will be an opportunity for the driver to rejoin in the second race as we will have extra engines available for use in their backup chassis. We want to make sure we're ensuring a strong field for race two to keep the excitement and momentum going throughout the entire event.”
Gossage said: “You have to love the open-mindedness of the IndyCar officials for randomly selecting the starting lineup of the second Firestone Twin 275. It guarantees a real jumble, an incredible shootout in the second race. Different strategies are going to be employed for each race. What a night of racing this will be.”
The double-header format is certainly not new: There were 17 double-headers (nine on ovals) sanctioned by USAC and CART from 1967 to 1981, with a driver sweeping both races 10 times. The grid for the second race was determined by finishing order in the first contest in all 17 events.
Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110302/IRL/110309972#ixzz1HI4q5M8K
