INDIANAPOLIS — After several cars launched wheels over the “Turtles” used as curbs around the 14-turn, 2.439-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, NASCAR officials decided to remove the curbing for Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard.
The curbing was used as a barrier to keep the race course on the proper racing surface instead of cutting the corner around the course. But several cars hit the curbs during Sunday’s Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard NASCAR Xfinity Series race.
NASCAR officials polled several drivers in the garage area after the race and the general consensus was to remove the rumble strips in turn six, according to NASCAR spokesperson Mike Forde.
Maintenance crews were removing the rumble strips immediately after Austin Cindric won Saturday’s Pennzoil 150.
Without the rumble strips, NASCAR will attempt to enforce the track limits to prevent drivers from running off course to make the apex of the turn. Without the rumble strips, the grass will be surface a race car hits after it runs past the asphalt in the turn.