DETROIT — IndyCar is at its first street course since changing its procedure around deploying full-course cautions, and the Detroit Grand Prix has already been affected by it.
After the Sonsio Grand Prix, IndyCar Officiating announced that pit windows and running orders of car would no longer take precedent when race control decides whether or not to deploy full-course cautions or local cautions. The move will likely alter strategy going forward, as many race leaders extend their pit windows
Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood took the lead of the Detroit Grand Prix as Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou pitted, but contact between Santino Ferrucci and Rinus VeeKay on Lap 66 led to a full-course caution that kept Kirkwood from pitting when he wanted to and allowed Palou to retake the lead.
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“I know IndyCar said we’re just going to go yellow as soon as a hot dog wrapper blows on the track, but it turns the race into something that isn’t based on merit, and I don’t love that,” Bryan Herta, Kirkwood’s strategist, said on Fox. “The last two yellows we had, the incident cleared within seconds. And I just think there’s got to be a middle ground to not ruin the race for people based on something that doesn’t really need to be a full-course yellow.”
A subsequent caution helped Kirkwood get back to second as he and Palou are on track to duel for the win. Both Palou and Kirkwood have won the Detroit Grand Prix before, and Kirkwood is the reigning champion of the race.
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Kyle Kirkwood’s strategist believes IndyCar needs ‘middle ground’ on full-course cautions
Reporting by Zion Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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