INDYCAR: Rethinking Doubleheaders

The first IndyCar doubleheader of recent vintage at Detroit in 2013

The fans that attend the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix got something no other race goers did in 2015: two Verizon IndyCar Series championship races in the same weekend. Sure, the weekend was plagued by foul weather, which caused session delays, and certainly added to the challenges that comes with attending a race. However, since the doubleheader format was implemented in 2013, there have been seven race weekends features two events. And all indications are they have been a hit with fans.

We also know they've been a hit with promoters. I asked Detroit promoted Roger Penske about this recently on pit lane before the start of the Iowa Corn 300. Mr. Penske noted, "The fans love it. If they want to go to Church on Sunday, they can come out and see a race on Saturday."

Earlier this season in Toronto, I spoke with numerous fans disappointed that the doubleheader. Toronto was of course, a unique case this year as the race was moved up a month due to the Pan Am Games. However, the race's attendance clearly suffered this year, and from talking to people that seemed in part due to only one race.

In short, we know the doubleheaders have been a hit with fans, and we also know none of the promoters are begging to dial back to one race. The question is the teams and drivers.

It's well-documented that the doubleheaders put a lot of strain on the teams, particularly in this condensed schedule era. Having two races and two qualifying sessions is an opportunity for some drivers to have incidents that require spare parts to be purchased and cars to be repaired. While from one perspective this is part of racing, it also potentially creates a situation where the team may not get the car repaired by race time due to a limited amount of time between on-track sessions. And due to the rules, the teams cannot have a spare car with an engine installed, which would speed up the 4 to 5 hours process of preparing another car.

One thing that would clearly improve the weekend is to somehow get rid of the second qualifying session. For example, in 2014 at Detroit teams were at the track before 8 a.m. Sunday after the Saturday race, preparing for a second qualifying session before the race that afternoon at 3:30 p.m. While you could say those are the rules and the teams need to adjust, the simple truth is that in this economically-starved era, more is being asked of team personnel than ever before. If there are ways to ease the burden the series should look at them.

My suggestion would be to have the normal qualifying for the first race, but determine the grid for Race 2 with a new format. One idea would be to use the lap times from the first race to determine the fastest 5 and then line the rest of the cars up by qualifying. One thing this does is incentivize teams to run quick in the first race, as often the teams have been accused of cruising through race 1. Or Invert the first 12 cars and invert the last half of the grid for Race 2.

Another suggestion is to perhaps go back to the format used in 2013, when there was qualifying for Sunday's race on Saturday morning. This was in lieu of a practice session that morning prior to the race. To make the second race 'unique' one idea might be to have the fans vote on the qualifying format.

Whatever the case, we need to see the Sunday qualifying session removed to make the racing better on Saturday and remove the strain on the teams. Further, the doubleheader format provides a unique opportunity for fan engagement that should not be overlooked.

Overall, we know the doubleheaders have been hits with the ticket-buying public and race organizers. We just now have to find a way to make them better for the teams.

Seems to me, it can be done.

Lucille Dust has worked more than two decades in motorsport with experience ranging the gamut from television production, to corporate hospitality and media. She is currently an IndyCar Correspondent for AutoRacing1 updating readers of all the latest happenings at Verizon IndyCar Series events. She can be contacted at LucilleDust@AutoRacing1.com