The dangerous precedent set by IndyCar regarding driver injuries in Iowa

Dale Coyne Racing driver Jack Harvey was required to start Race 1 of IndyCar’s doubleheader weekend in Iowa, despite suffering from ample neck and shoulder pain. One regulation in the series rulebook prevented anyone replacing Harvey.

Unfortunately, Harvey had to start the race. No, no one was forcing him, per se — but further rules about IndyCar’s Leaders’ Circle program forced Harvey’s hand. We’re going to delve further into what happened, and why it’s so dangerous.

IndyCar at Iowa: Injured Harvey races on

This weekend, IndyCar has headed off to Iowa Raceway for a doubleheader weekend. Jack Harvey was scheduled to compete behind the wheel of the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda — but the British racer was suffering from some serious neck and shoulder pain.

Harvey had been in pain during last weekend’s Mid-Ohio race, but that pain reached new levels on Saturday morning in Iowa. The Briton was able to qualify the car, but he elected to step back before the race, offering his seat up to Conor Daly.

The team announced the change. Daly donned Harvey’s race suit. IndyCar’s medical team recommended that Harvey not attempt to start the race.

There was just one problem: IndyCar’s rulebook says that’s not allowed.

Rule 4.3.3.1 states that replacement drivers cannot start a race without having turned laps at the track during the course of the race weekend.

Due to the tight doubleheader schedule, there was no time between qualifying — where Harvey understood his pain was so intense that he wouldn’t be able to compete — and the race later the same day to offer Daly any laps.

Common sense would dictate that an injured driver should avoid racing at all costs… but there was another problem: IndyCar’s Leaders’ Circle program.

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IndyCar Leaders’ Circle, explained

The Leaders’ Circle program got its start in the 2000s; in effective, prize money is pooled together and distributed at the end of the seasons — but only to the top 22 finishers.

Unlike in Formula 1, IndyCar teams can field a diverse array of drivers throughout the season. Grid sizes can range from 24 to 33 drivers, and many drivers race abbreviated schedules. But in IndyCar, the “entry” — or, the car itself, not the driver — is what qualifies for the bonus money.

As a result, drivers in smaller-budget teams like Dale Coyne Racing are under immense pressure to start every single race in order to qualify for the $1 million bonus at the end of the year — and withdrawing from a race entirely is not an option.

That left both Jack Harvey and Dale Coyne Racing in a seriously problematic position ahead of Race 1 in Iowa. The No. 18 Honda had to start the race in order to qualify for Leaders’ Circle funding… but Harvey was the only driver that could start the race, per IndyCar’s rulebook. And no, there are no asterisks for injury.

Harvey started the event and completed 28 laps before he pulled into the pits to retire his car. He offered a lengthy interview after the race, where he discussed his pain and the bind he found himself in.

“The plan for tomorrow? In truth, we pretty much made the decision,” Harvey admitted.

“We were hoping that Conor would be able to drive. I have a lot of respect for IndyCar, but they didn’t clear him to drive without doing any practice sessions or qualifying or anything like that.

“That forced our hand a little bit. It basically meant we had to start the race to try to get Leaders’ Circle points.

“I mean, I would say I’m a very lucky person to get to do this for a job, but it’s agony in that car. I can’t really describe that pain.

“I’m a competitive person; everybody is who does this, so it kind of splits your spirit to the core knowing you can’t do it.

“But everybody on the IndyCar medical side have been fantastic. It was their recommendation not to [race].

“I have a lot of respect for Dale and everybody at Dale Coyne Racing. I still wanted to do my part, and that today really was just start the race. Under safety car [it’s OK]; under push laps, it hurts.

“I hope people have enough respect for me that when I say it hurts, it isn’t just like ‘aw, it’s a little bit of pain.’ I’ve tried pushing through this for two weekends now, and I just can’t.”

The defeat was clear in Harvey’s voice, but the rules of IndyCar and its Leaders’ Circle program were also clear: There would be no flexibility regarding driver injury.

But there should be.

In fact, it is highly irresponsible that there are no clauses regarding driver injury written into the regulations. IndyCar’s top-notch medical team advised Harvey not to race; that should have been more than enough for IndyCar to reconsider its otherwise hard-line rules.

Instead, Harvey and Dale Coyne Racing were forced to make an impossible choice: Step back from the race and forfeit the crucial $1 million paycheck that keeps the team in business, or power through the pain to race.

They had to race. There was no other option.

IndyCar and its ownership, Penske Entertainment, needs to use Harvey’s situation at Iowa in order to rewrite a rulebook that doesn’t force a driver to compete while in debilitating pain. Otherwise, we set a dangerous precedent that could see other drivers competing while injured and putting themselves — and other drivers — at risk.

Dale Coyne Racing was able to replace Harvey with Conor Daly for Iowa’s second race on Sunday afternoon; Daly was given a special session to turn laps of the track in the morning.

However, the very fact that Harvey was required to race on Saturday should signal that IndyCar needs to have a serious look at its rules, especially as it pertains to injury and Leaders’ Circle eligibility.

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