IndyCar may overhaul Indianapolis 500 qualifying points system

IndyCar may overhaul the current Indianapolis 500 points system used for qualifying, as too many points are currently awarded as a result of it.

In any sport, especially one in which points determine your final position in the standings and accumulate throughout the season, every point counts. IndyCar is no exception to that. However, many people feel that too many points are being given away simply for qualifying for the Indianapolis 500, and that points system may change soon as a result of it.

The current Indy 500 points system used for qualifying started back in the 2014 season, and it has been used in three of the last four seasons. It was only not used in 2015, as storms caused the first day of qualifying to be canceled, thus prompting the series officials to scrap the system for that year.

It may not be used for much longer, as the amount of points that awarded simply for qualifying for the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is pretty unreasonable. Plus, qualifying for a race just because it is the Indianapolis 500 should not be a huge factor in the final championship standings, especially when just one point is awarded to the polesitter for a regular race.

Here is a chart comparing side-by-side the number of points awarded for a regular race finish and the number of points awarded for Indy 500 qualifying.

Place	Regular race points	Indy 500 qualifying points
1st	50	42
2nd	40	40
3rd	35	38
4th	32	36
5th	30	34
6th	28	32
7th	26	30
8th	24	28
9th	22	26
10th	20	24
11th	19	23
12th	18	22
13th	17	21
14th	16	20
15th	15	19
16th	14	18
17th	13	17
18th	12	16
19th	11	15
20th	10	14
21st	9	13
22nd	8	12
23rd	7	11
24th	6	10
25th	5	9
26th	5	8
27th	5	7
28th	5	6
29th	5	5
30th	5	4
31st	5	3
32nd	5	2
33rd	5	1

As you can see, of the top 29 finishing positions in a regular race (and only 21-22 drivers drive in a regular race anyway), only the race winner scores more points than does the driver whose qualifying position for the Indy 500 matches the first driver’s finishing position in a regular race.

More from IndyCar

So with the Indy 500 race being one of two races throughout the season to award double points for all finishing positions to begin with, this system effectively makes the race worth more than three times (IndyCar president of competition and operations Jay Frye says two and a half, but that’s a little off — see below) as much as a regular race in terms of the championship hunt.

Essentially more than one-third of the points rewarded at the race are because of qualifying when everybody knows that starting position in the Indy 500 means nothing. It is always possible to win the race from last. Right now, it is possible to win the race even without starting last and still not score the most points.

Here is what Jay Frye had to say about the current qualifying system, according to Motorsport.com.

"“With qualifying points so high, and then double-points in the race, you’re offering two-and-a-half times our regular points, and the thing is, I don’t think Indy needs that. So there’s a time and a place for evaluating different options, and that’s what’s going on right now. It’s a work in progress.”“It’s a polarizing topic, I must say. I have a personal opinion on it and I’m kinda old school. But I know there are a lot of elements that go into it, and I understand the opposing arguments. So, honestly, I’m working diligently to decide how to do it. I’ve come up with a few different ideas the past couple of years for qualifying and people present X, Y or Z scenarios as counter-arguments.”"

Next: 5 reasons destroying Walt Disney World Speedway was a mistake

Do you feel like it is time for the current Indianapolis 500 qualifying points system to be scrapped for a different system? How will the series replace this system, and when will the change take place? Stay tuned to find out.