Recently, NASCAR racing at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway has received mixed views. But a recent decision might change the racing in a positive direction.
NBC Sports confirmed a report Monday afternoon (March 20) that came from freelance journalist Michael Knight last weekend that NASCAR was exploring the idea of using restrictor plates at IMS for the NXS race on July 22. The news was also reported last November in the Arizona Republic.
Early last October, NASCAR held a test with XFINITY teams at the 2.5-mile track that featured restrictor plates on the cars. Currently, NASCAR only runs the plates at two tracks, Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The plates are used across all three national series.
The Lilly Diabetes 250 had a total of zero on-track passes for the lead. Kyle Busch dominated, leading all but one lap in the 2016 race. Busch also led 149 of the 170 laps in the Brickyard 400 on Sunday. That race had a total of four lead changes.
The move also comes with some possible consequences for the top series. Knight also reported that the use of restrictor plates for the MENCS at the Brickyard in 2018 will be evaluated after the sanctioning body sees how the NXS race plays out later this summer.
The addition of a restrictor plate package in 2018 would put Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway alongside Indianapolis on the list of tracks to have plates added.
The Brickyard 400 will take place on July 23 on NBC.