IndyCar tames the ‘Tail of the Dragon’ at Indy 500
INDIANAPOLIS – The “Tail of the Dragon” – a move that brought the speeding racers in the Indianapolis 500 dangerously close to disaster near the pit attenuator wall – has been outlawed by IndyCar officials.
IndyCar informed race teams of the procedural update ahead of the 108thIndianapolis 500 during Friday’s drivers meeting on Carb Day.
• The dashed white line from the exit of Turn 4 to the pit entry attenuator will be officiated for Sunday’s race. Cars that have left-side tires past the dashed line will be penalized unless entering the pit lane, for incident avoidance or in an obvious attempt to avoid a closed pit lane and return to the racetrack.
In accordance with IndyCar penalty guidelines, IndyCar can impose penalties that include:
o Drive-through penalty
o If at the conclusion of the race, a time penalty equal to a drive-through penalty
o If under yellow condition, the car is ordered to the rear of the restart lineup
• Consistent with its use at other NTT IndyCar Series events, EM Motorsport light panels positioned around the track will illuminate all flag conditions, including green, to supplement the traditional cloth flag waved at the start-finish line for both starts and restarts.
The EM Motorsports light panels are mounted in addition to the traditional track condition lights used at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The restart procedure will be changed. The 2024 restart line designated in the last corner will not be implemented in the Indy 500.
As in previous years, cars may begin racing (including passing) at the declaration of a green condition.
The 2024 IndyCar rulebook will be updated to reflect these changes later today.
Marcus Ericsson, the 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner, used the "Tail of the Dragon" move to defeat Pato O'Ward in the closing laps of the Indy 500. But last year, it was Team Penske's Josef Newgarden that used the danger move to get an advantage over Ericsson in the final lap that helped him win the 2023 Indianapolis 500.
The "Tail of the Dragon" is a zig-zag maneuver that the leader uses to break the draft from the car behind him, making it more difficult to pass. But with a pit road wall serving as an embankment, it's has the potential to be very dangerous.
"With the snaking, if someone is snaking on the last lap to win the race, I'm not sure what they're going to do," Ericsson said on May 9. "Are they going to throw that person out? I’m not sure how.
"They've been talking about how many moves you're allowed on the straight.
I think the white line thing, that one is pretty black or white, at least in my world. You go down below it, and it's a clear one, right? Like as a driver, you go below it, it's so clear, you can't talk your way out of that one. It's almost like the pit speed, right? Like if you go over the pit speed, you go over the pit speed, it doesn't matter. If it’s a solid line there, I think that one we should be hard and just be like, you go below it. you're out."
At that time, Ericsson was asked if all four wheels had to be below the white line, or if two wheels mandated a penalty.
"That I think they need to clarify because I am not sure on that one, either, to be honest," Ericsson said. "I would think it's just like a solid white line and you can't cross it over anything, but I need to get that clarified as well next week."
IndyCar clarified it Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and teams will have to be aware of the change in the closing laps of Sunday's 500.
Follow Bruce Martin on Twitter at @BruceMartin_500
