The NTT IndyCar Series has updated its rulebook for the 2022 season to provide a strategic choice in regards to each driver’s pit stall location on pit road.
In recent years, pit stall assignments have been done automatically based on the previous event’s qualifying order, with the highest qualified driver being assigned the pit box nearest the end of pit road.
The rest of the drivers were then placed sequentially in each pit stall based on their previous qualifying effort. There was no option for a driver to choose his own pit location.
That will change this year, as each driver will get to choose any available pit stall for use for the entire weekend. The choosing order is determined by the qualifying order from the previous event, with the pole-sitter receiving the first pick.
After eligible drivers have chosen their pit locations, IndyCar will automatically assign the remaining pit boxes in order as has been done in previous years. The Indianapolis 500 is excluded from this new procedure, and continues to have its own rules for pit location assignments.
This added bit of strategy could prove to make a significant difference during the race, as drivers can now choose pit stalls that have an open space for garage access next to them to allow easier entrance and exit from their pit box.
Teams may also use the new rules to select pit stalls in groups if given the opportunity, so they can better plan to not have drivers from their own team be in each other’s way.
For the Indy 500, qualifying is complete a week before the race, and drivers will choose their pit box location based on their qualifying order for the race itself. The following weekend in Detroit will resume normal procedure, with the qualifying order for the Indianapolis road course being used to determine the order of picks, essentially skipping over the special event that is the Indy 500.
Unchanged procedures will dictate the pit box order for the first event of the season, with the assignment of pit locations being set in order based on last year’s points standings. This means that reigning champion Alex Palou will be assigned the pit box nearest to pit out for next weekend’s race in St. Petersburg.
Another small change in the rules states that pit crews are not permitted to physically assist the car’s exit from the pit box. Traditionally, one or two members of the pit crew will give the rear wing of the car a bit of a push to help it get going after service is complete, but that minor assistance now appears to have been outlawed.
These new additions to the rulebook may end up having a significant effect on the outcome of races that are dictated by a sprint off pit road, and will put a bit more importance on qualifying each weekend.
