IndyCar Maintains Traditional Championship Format Amid Considerations for Innovation
IndyCar president Doug Boles confirmed that the series will continue its traditional championship format, awarding the title to the driver with the highest points total over the season, dismissing notions of adopting a NASCAR-style playoff system.
Despite interest from some promoters in a playoff format similar to NASCAR’s, which involves resetting points after the regular season and narrowing contenders, Boles stated, “We don’t have any interest in doing a playoffs-type situation like NASCAR has. That’s not something that’s on our bingo card,” during an interview with RACER.
While NASCAR’s playoffs have been in place for over two decades, other leagues are exploring various adaptations to enhance viewer engagement. For instance, Formula 1 has implemented Saturday sprint races, while the NBA and WNBA have introduced in-season tournaments with their own champions.
IndyCar’s historical experimentation with similar concepts includes the Marlboro Challenge, which ran from 1987 to 1992 within the CART IndyCar Series. This all-star event featured the season’s pole and race winners, culminating in significant prize money—$225,000 for the inaugural race, equating to approximately $627,000 today, with the last event offering a $1 million prize, worth about $2.2 million today.
Although Boles expressed no immediate plans to revive a similar event, he remains open to the idea of a challenge concept, emphasizing the need for financial viability. “The biggest question is how do you fund it? How do you make it make sense for the teams financially?” he stated, adding that any future concepts would involve broader participation beyond the previous limit of 10 drivers.
As IndyCar looks to the future, Boles reiterated the priority remains on enhancing existing races rather than implementing potentially disruptive formats.
