IZOD IndyCar Series officials have added yet another twist to the Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway.
The races, scheduled for June 11, will be identical in every way except one – the field for the second will be set by blind draw. Each race will pay half the points and half the bonus prizes of a regular event.
The events will include two full-field races on the 1.5-mile oval. Traditional oval qualifying will be held to set the grid for the first race, but a blind draw will be conducted immediately following the conclusion of that event to set the order for the second race.
Teams will have one hour of preparation time between the first and second races.
Each driver will receive points based on a 25-to-1 scale with 25 for the win. The driver leading the most laps in each race will earn two bonus points, but the driver starting on the pole in the second race will not receive the one point awarded the polesitter who earns the spot in the initial race. Half the bonus money – $17,500 for first place through $5,000 for fifth – also will be allocated for each race.
Additionally, entrants shall utilize the same pit locations, based upon qualification results for the Indianapolis 500, for both races. Because of the brief amount of time between races, each team will receive one additional engine for use as needed with its entries in the second race.
"We want to keep the format of this event as exciting as possible for our fans as we revive this open-wheel tradition," said Brian Barnhart, president of competition and operations for IndyCar, the sanctioning body of the IZOD IndyCar Series. "With the starting field for the second race set by random draw, you could see the winner from the first race starting from the back of the field, creating quite a bit of drama. Also, if a car suffers damage and fails to finish the first race, there will be an opportunity for the driver to rejoin in the second race as we will have extra engines available for use in their back-up chassis.
"We want to make sure we're ensuring a strong field for Race 2 to keep the excitement and momentum going throughout the entire event."
The IZOD IndyCar Series has raced at the Fort Worth facility 21 times since 1997.
"You have to love the open-mindedness of the IndyCar officials for randomly selecting the starting lineup of the second Firestone Twin 275," Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said. "It guarantees a real jumble, an incredible shootout in the second race. Different strategies are going to be employed for each race. What a night of racing this will be."
There were 17 doubleheaders (nine on ovals) under USAC and CART sanction from 1967-81, with a driver sweeping both races 10 times. The grid for the second race was determined by finishing order in the first contest in all 17 events. Almost 20 years ago, Rick Mears won both races at Atlanta Motor Speedway in a twin-race format.
