The NTT IndyCar Series has decided to stop awarding double points for the Indianapolis 500, starting with this season’s race coming up in four months.
Despite being the flagship event of the season, with nearly two weeks of practice and qualifying leading up to the race itself, a standard amount of points will be awarded to the finishers.
Double points have been awarded for the race since 2014, giving the winner a massive 100 points from the event in addition to the prestige of winning the biggest race of the year.
The series has now decided that “the rule has proven to overly penalize full-time championship teams that have performed poorly in the 500.”
Awarding double points for the Indy 500 has always been a bit controversial, with many fans and drivers arguing that the event itself is prestigious enough without a need for adding extra championship implications into the mix.
Others have said, however, that the importance of the race is the reason that it should have a higher points payout.
For a time there were also double point awarded for the season finale as well to help ensure that the title fight was decided in the last race of the year, but that proved very unpopular and only lasted for five seasons.
“For 17 consecutive seasons, the NTT IndyCar Series championship has been decided in the final race of the season,” said IndyCar 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.’”
It is believed that qualifying will continue to award some points for the top qualifying drivers, helping to add a bit more to the total points on offer throughout the event.
This year’s Indianapolis 500 running gets underway on May 16, with the race itself taking place on Sunday, May 28.
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