Scott Dixon has outlined some suggestions to improve the spectacle in IndyCar with better racing ahead of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway.
IndyCar has lacked raw excitement on some oval tracks, such as Iowa Speedway, where overtaking was very difficult on the narrow circuit, and the high line was difficult to use.
A lack of variability in lines on ovals makes races a single-file affair, putting an extra emphasis on qualifying and consistency.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has performed well on ovals this season, taking third at the Indy 500 and two fourth-place finishes at Iowa.
Scott Dixon believes IndyCar racing on ovals would improve with less boost
The 260-lap Bommarito Automotive Group 500 will feature just one compound of Firestone tyres rather than the multiple options IndyCar teams were given in previous years.
This will limit the strategy the teams can use, as they will be unable to gain a sizeable advantage through the mechanical grip of the tyres. Despite the lack of tyre choice, Dixon explained that lowering the power available could be a step in the right direction.
The 44-year-old told David Land that using the lower boost setting like the 130 used at Indianapolis ‘would make the racing a lot better’.
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He is confident that the different settings would allow for cars to run side-by-side through World Wide Technology Raceway’s turns three and four. The New Zealander is also convinced that the concerns surrounding using a lower boost setting were only a theory from rivals Team Penske.
“I think that was always just a Penske theory that went on for many years,” Dixon said. “I think we’ve seen how that plays out. I think if you’ve got high-deg, that’s maybe true.
“I think in an Iowa situation, you can burn the rear tyres off. But, here, the theory behind that, going slower on the straights makes the straight longer.”
World Wide Technology Raceway, previously known as Gateway, has been a good venue for Dixon. He took victory in Illinois last year amid a run of three wins in the final four rounds to end 2023.
Scott Dixon believes turns three and four are vital to racing at Gateway
WWTR is a circuit unlike the other ovals on the IndyCar calendar with a unique shape and changing levels of banking throughout the track.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver said taking the final two turns on the circuit flat out without lifting off the throttle would improve the racing immensely.
Dixon continued: “If you can take three and four flat, then you’ve got a massive straight out of two that you can get a big draft and then try and pass going into three or down the front straight into one. That’s what that is.
“If you can make three and four a lot easier, that’s why they’ve added the downforce to try and get that second lane to come in. Will that be enough? I think with 130, lower boost, that would definitely help, but we have to see where we end up.”