Winning the Indianapolis 500 or one of two other 500-mile races now carries even more importance.
As a standalone the significance of the Indianapolis 500 is without question, and as part of the Verizon IndyCar Series championship, the significance of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" is now higher than ever before.
Beginning this year IndyCar will award double points for its "Triple Crown" races. The three events -- Indianapolis, Pocono Raceway and Auto Club Speedway (Fontana) -- are the only the only 500-mile races on the schedule. A win is now worth 100 points instead of the 50 awarded at standard IndyCar races.
Additionally, points will be distributed for Indy 500 qualifying with the pole-sitter earning 33 points with each position receiving one fewer point. Bonus points will also be dispensed to drivers who advance to the Fast Nine Shootout.
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Doubling the amount points available at the 500-mile races increases the importance of performing well at Indy, Pocono and Fontana. A driver sweeping the "Triple Crown" along with Indy 500 qualifying would earn a max total of 342 points.
Because the average points accrued by the champion over the previous five years is 567.2, the new points structure creates a hypothetical where a driver could excel in those and other oval races (six total in 2014), struggle in the road course events (12 total), and still win the championship.
"Adding more weight to the 500-mile events rewards teams and drivers that continually rise to the occasion at key times of the year," said IndyCar competition president Derrick Walker. "We looked at various ways to improve the way we decide our champions, and this will only make the championship battles more exciting."
