Indycar going to the (lucky) dog's?

[DBell]

I saw this on Cavin's blog:
http://blogs.indystar.com/racingexpert/2011/03/09/later-green-flags-lucky-dog-coming-to-indycar/

I kind of expected it after they announced they were going to double wide restarts, but it's still a tough pill to swallow.

I very rarely watch NASCAR, but I watched cab race at the Glen a few years ago and saw Kyle Busch go 5 laps down early in the race. As the race went on, he kept getting the lucky dog and by the end of the race, he was on the lead lap and finished in the top 10. I thought it was completely ridiculous and was probably the last time I watched a NASCAR race in it's entirety. This rule sucks and I hate to see Indycar go down this road. Very disappointing.

[Mr. Mister]

You can't have perfection, though, and I think it's an appropriate compromise.

It's easy to look at everything from our own perspective as true racing fans, but knowing that this sport can't survive with us alone, it needs to be exciting. Nothing kills a late-race restart for the casual viewer like lapped traffic; to enhance the race, those cars need to be moved, and you have to compensate them for taking their opportunity to get back on the lead lap away. Every decision has a trade-off, and I think this one is fair enough. I'd rather get the lapped cars to the back on restarts even if it isn't "pure."

[call_me_andrew]

When NASCAR started using the Lucky Dog, I could understand it's origins in racing back to the yellow flag and understood it as NASCAR trying to turn two wrongs into a right. This is just just coppying.

[garyshell]

Well maybe all the flack Randy has been taking for the past 24 hours or so may have been unwarranted on two fronts. First, apparently it was not his idea and second it has not been adopted as a rule yet.

http://twitter.com/MoreFrontWing/status/46057436527861760#

Gary

[SarahFan]

Didn't CART do something similar in the early or mid 90's?

[Leo Krupe]

Ya gotta experiment, but I'm not sure this is the right way to go.

[Mark in Oshawa]

No Lucky dog's allowed. I would shoot this dog quick. Let NASCAR have the gimmick. They like 20 cars on the lead lap whereas only 10 maybe deserve and are fast enough to be there. With Indycar, no.

At some point, the game is racing, not stage managing sprint races between Yellows.

[DavePI2]

Please don't tell me debris cautions with 20 laps to go and the morning call are next.

[slorydn1]

When NASCAR started using the Lucky Dog, I could understand it's origins in racing back to the yellow flag and understood it as NASCAR trying to turn two wrongs into a right. This is just just coppying.

You are absolutely correct. Nascar used to let the drivers race back to the line when the yellow came out. They (the drivers) did have an unwritten gentleman's agreement that the leaders would check up and maintain position coming off of turn 4, but they didn't have to. When they did that, that provided the opportunity for people who fell a lap or more down and were in the vicinity of the leader to gas it up and get a lap back, provided they beat the leader to the line. That all came to an end after Dale Jarrett wrecked at Loudon and was stranded right in the middle of the track just before the S/F line, and cars were racing by him on either side as he was trying to exit his vehicle.

SO Nascar instituted the Indy car style "freezing the field" (I guess they liked the controversy of the previous years Indy 500 finish) and there was no way for people who got lapped, often times not because of bad performance but because some idiot spun out and wrecked while the leaders were pitting trapping them a lap or more down-and Nascar didn't have the waive around rule then for the lappers trapped between the leader and the pace car. So they instituted the free pass. It served it's purpose, but I agree with many others that it probably has outlived its usefulness now that Nascar has the waive around rule and the double file restarts.

I really don't see the need for Indycar to go down this road.........

[bugeyedgomer]

The IRl was always intended to be the open wheel version of nascar

[nigelred5]

reason enough NOT to do it.

[bugeyedgomer]

they dont have C^RT or ChampCar to copy from anymore; gotta go with NASCAR
how is that push to pass working out