IndyCar has officially banned the maneuver that led to Josef Newgarden’s victory in the 2023 Indy 500. Under new guidelines issued ahead of the 2024 season, drivers trying to defend their position will no longer be allowed to perform a maneuver known as the “dragon” when entering the pit lane on the main straight.
While drivers can still use “The Dragon” (a sideways movement on the track to break the slide of the car behind them), IndyCar now tracks the height reached by drivers during their manoeuvre. On the final lap of last year’s Indy 500, winner Josef Newgarden crossed the track, pitted briefly, then returned to the track near the muffler near the inside wall.
According to the new guidelines, drivers must not run under the white line on the track that marks the pit entrance.Joseph Newgarden’s aggressive efforts to maintain the lead on the final lap of the 2023 Indy 500 will not be allowed in future races. Newgarden jumped onto pit road at high speed and returned late to the main straight, a maneuver that was not allowed under the new IndyCar rules.
As part of the NTT IndyCar Series rule changes for the biggest race, IndyCar will monitor Newgarden’s defensive maneuver, which prevents drivers from driving below the limits set by the new guidelines. All drivers are additionally advised not to run inside the line to turn from the fader to 4.”We’re following that path,” IndyCar president Jay Frye said. “So think about what Newgarden did when he went down to the mine entrance.
It would have been illegal in ’24. He certainly didn’t do anything wrong in ’23, but as a series, it’s one thing when you do it, it happens, you have to react.”Something happened, it was a little aggressive, that’s the best word. So we take the opportunity to be aggressive in the pits coming out of Turn 4.” IndyCar takes steps to maintain a safe and fair racing environment by actively responding to past racing tactics.
