Change made to Indy 500 restart rules

INDIANAPOLIS, May 28 (UPI) -- IndyCar officials have agreed to make some tweaks to the restart rules for the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day.

The change is a compromise between drivers who prefer the single-file restart procedure and team owners who like the double-file restarts that have been in place this season.

The new arrangement, which will be in effect at the 100th edition of the 500 on Monday, will have the cars running two-by-two on the backstretch when the pace car pulls off the track, IndyCar said in a written statement. Once the green flag goes up, racing will begin as the cars approach the restart zone at the start of Turn 4.

"It's something that is an unknown at Indianapolis because it's such a single-groove racetrack," said Al Unser, who ran the meeting with the drivers in lieu of ailing IndyCar President of Competition Brian Barnhart. "But the owners and the IZOD IndyCar Series decided to make a compromise and move it into the north (short) chute, so the cars can be more single file as they enter Turn 1."

ESPN.com said the drivers pushed for a single-file restart because they wanted to avoid the rubber tire debris that builds up along the outer walls at the end of Turn 4.