IndyCar adds double points for Indy 500, Pocono and Auto Club
NASCAR, it's your move to add double points to a race. Maybe the Daytona 500?
OK, so we're kidding about that. But we're not kidding when we say that IndyCar announced Thursday that the Indianapolis 500 and 500-mile races at Pocono and Auto Club Speedway would be worth twice as many points as the other 13 races on the schedule in 2014.
Typically, a winner of an IndyCar race gets 50 points. For the three 500 mile races, the winner will get 100. The race at Auto Club on August 30 is the final race of the season. Before the 2014 season, Formula 1 announced that the final race of the season at Abu Dhabi would be worth double points.
Points will also be awarded for Indianapolis 500 qualifying. The pole winner will receive 33 points, which is a point more than finishing fourth in a regular points race.
The points emphasis on the Indianapolis 500 makes sense, given the history of the race and the attention that it garners in relation to the rest of the IndyCar Series schedule. The 500-mile trend also seems logical on the surface, but adding all the importance to Pocono in just the series' second year at the track is interesting. We'd choose Long Beach or any number of tracks to add importance to before Pocono.
The 10-spot grid penalty for engine changes past the series-mandated limit or mileage thresholds were also elimiated. In its place will be 10-point penalties for manufacturers in the manufacturer's points standings.
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is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @NickBromberg
