Should IndyCar adopt the Road to Indy scoring system?

With the number of oval races on the IndyCar schedule growing smaller, should the series adopt the scoring system used in the Road to Indy?

Just five oval races make up the 17-race 2019 IndyCar schedule, which is tied for the lowest total since the sanctioning body was formed in 1994 under the name Indy Racing League before beginning competition two years later in 1996. The 2012 and 2016 schedules also featured only five oval races.

Gone are the days when ovals made up the entire schedule and then still made up an overwhelming majority of the schedule when road and street courses were added to the schedule starting in the 2005 season. While there could certainly be a few extra oval races added here and there in the near future, these days are never coming back.

While it is still the most diverse series in the world, IndyCar has become a road and street course race-dominated series. In fact, the season finale hasn’t even been contested on an oval since the 2014 season when it was held at Auto Club Speedway, and per Weather Raceway Laguna Seca’s new contract with the series, this won’t change until at least the 2022 season.

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Should IndyCar adopt the scoring system used in the Road to Indy to combat this imbalance?

The Indianapolis 500, the crown jewel on the IndyCar schedule, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is already a double points race, as it should be given its significance.

However, the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is also a double points race, and for no other reason than a gimmick to make the championship fight more competitive heading into the final round of competition each year. Additionally, the weekend at the Raceway on Belle Isle is also effectively a double points-paying weekend, as this weekend features the only doubleheader on the schedule. Both of the races are full points-paying races.

Not only are there more than twice as many road and street courses as there are ovals on the schedule, but the road and street course races are also getting a bigger boost in terms of additional points value because of this.

In each of the three Road to Indy series, Indy Lights, Indy Pro 2000 and U.S. F2000, oval races are worth 50% more (rounded up) than road and street course races, and there are far fewer oval races than there are road and street course races in these three series as well. Without overdoing it, the additional points awarded in the oval races help to balance out the road and street course-dominated schedules.

It is worth noting that there is not a single road or street course race on the IndyCar schedule that is longer than any oval race on the schedule. Even the races at the smallest ovals are longer than the races at some of the largest road or street courses, and by a considerable amount as well.

A 50% boost to the point totals awarded in the few oval races that still feature on the IndyCar schedule from year to year would not hurt. In fact, this would make more sense for a couple of reasons.

First of all, this would make the Indy 500 the single highest points-paying race/weekend of the season. It would effectively be worth three times as much as the average road or street course race and twice as much as the average oval race assuming its point total would still be doubled.

Secondly, the Indy 500 would no longer be tied in significance with a doubleheader weekend at the Raceway on Belle Isle. Even with both races at this track being full points-paying races, the Indy 500 would still award 50% more points than both of them combined.

Finally, double points in the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca would make a lot more sense. This race would still be worth twice as much as the average road or street course race, and it would be worth 33.33% more than the average oval race. But perhaps most importantly, the Indy 500 would still be worth 50% more than it.

Here is the current Road to Indy points system as well as the current IndyCar points system.

Road to Indy (road/street course)

1st – 30
2nd – 25
3rd – 22
4th – 19
5th – 17
6th – 15
7th – 14
8th – 13
9th – 12
10th – 11
11th – 10
12th – 9
13th – 8
14th – 7
15th – 6
16th – 5
17th – 4
18th – 3
19th – 2
20th – 1

Road to Indy (oval)

1st – 45
2nd – 38
3rd – 33
4th – 29
5th – 26
6th – 23
7th – 21
8th – 20
9th – 18
10th – 17
11th – 15
12th – 14
13th – 12
14th – 11
15th – 9
16th – 8
17th – 6
18th – 5
19th – 4
20th – 2

IndyCar (road/street and oval)

1st – 50
2nd – 40
3rd – 35
4th – 32
5th – 30
6th – 28
7th – 26
8th – 24
9th – 22
10th – 20
11th – 19
12th – 18
13th – 17
14th – 16
15th – 15
16th – 14
17th – 13
18th – 12
19th – 11
20th – 10
21st – 9
22nd – 8
23rd – 7
24th – 6
25th to 33rd – 5

Indianapolis 500 and season finale

1st – 100
2nd – 80
3rd – 70
4th – 64
5th – 60
6th – 56
7th – 52
8th – 48
9th – 44
10th – 40
11th – 38
12th – 36
13th – 34
14th – 32
15th – 30
16th – 28
17th – 26
18th – 24
19th – 22
20th – 20
21st – 18
22nd – 16
23rd – 14
24th – 12
25th to 33rd – 10

Here is what the modified IndyCar points system would look like if it were modeled after the Road to Indy points system.

IndyCar Road/Street

1st – 50
2nd – 40
3rd – 35
4th – 32
5th – 30
6th – 28
7th – 26
8th – 24
9th – 22
10th – 20
11th – 19
12th – 18
13th – 17
14th – 16
15th – 15
16th – 14
17th – 13
18th – 12
19th – 11
20th – 10
21st – 9
22nd – 8
23rd – 7
24th – 6
25th to 33rd – 5

IndyCar Oval

1st – 75
2nd – 60
3rd – 53
4th – 48
5th – 45
6th – 42
7th – 39
8th – 36
9th – 33
10th – 30
11th – 29
12th – 27
13th – 26
14th – 24
15th – 23
16th – 21
17th – 20
18th – 18
19th – 17
20th – 15
21st – 14
22nd – 12
23rd – 11
24th – 9
25th to 33rd – 8

Indianapolis 500

1st – 150
2nd – 120
3rd – 105
4th – 96
5th – 90
6th – 84
7th – 78
8th – 72
9th – 66
10th – 60
11th – 57
12th – 54
13th – 51
14th – 48
15th – 45
16th – 42
17th – 39
18th – 36
19th – 33
20th – 30
21st – 27
22nd – 24
23rd – 21
24th – 18
25th to 33rd – 15

Season finale

1st – 100
2nd – 80
3rd – 70
4th – 64
5th – 60
6th – 56
7th – 52
8th – 48
9th – 44
10th – 40
11th – 38
12th – 36
13th – 34
14th – 32
15th – 30
16th – 28
17th – 26
18th – 24
19th – 22
20th – 20
21st – 18
22nd – 16
23rd – 14
24th – 12
25th to 33rd – 10

Note that the season finale point total calculations assume that the season finale is held at a road or street course. However, if it is ever held at an oval again, the same points system could be used to keep the race from being valued the same as the Indy 500.

Should IndyCar utilize the points system that is currently utilized in the three Road to Indy series to place more weight on the schedule’s very few oval races, or should the scoring system that is currently in use remain in use? There are certainly several pros and cons to each system that were not touched upon directly in this article, but nevertheless, placing more value on these few oval races and further placing value on the greatest race in the world would not be a bad thing.