The Apron Should Be For Everyone

A decision was made yesterday that many have been waiting for twenty-years: The apron is returning to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The strip of asphalt that played into the duels of Johncock and Mears and Mears and Andretti returns but by the wording of the release, it's return is circumstantial and is not returning for the race it forever will be attached to.

"The addition of an apron in the four turn of the IMS oval to used in NASCAR events, enhancing competition."

That is what the press release read yesterday as the track announced the Indiana Motorsports Commission approval of upgrades to the track at 16th and Georgetown, such as refurbishing the catch fence, seat improvements, new video screens, new scoring pylon, modernized restrooms and increasing concession choices.

Taking the quote above you could generalize that the apron is for NASCAR but it doesn't say it is exclusively for NASCAR and IndyCar will not be using it. It is heavily implied but not stated. With that said, the apron should be used by everyone.

The removal of the apron after the 1992 Indianapolis 500 has always been linked to reducing the angle of impact during an accident to prevent injuries to drivers such as broken backs. However in the last twenty years, safety developments throughout motorsports have reduced the risk of injury. Without a doubt the SAFER barriers have saved numerous lives at many different ovals since first being install at IMS in 2002. The HANS device has emerged in the last twenty years reducing risk of head injuries. Race cars are more safe now than ever but should that mean IndyCars should also get the chance to use apron once it returns in the Indianapolis 500?

It isn't an easy question to answer but at the same time the question of how do you stop IndyCars from using the apron is just as tough. Is a double-yellow line painted around the track and a rule similar to the one NASCAR uses at Daytona and Talladega used for the Indianapolis 500? Does temporary field turf get put down during the month of May?

The easiest decision would be to just allow IndyCars to use the apron. The Indianapolis 500 doesn't need an "out-of-bounds" but what about safety? Even with all the safety improvements, drivers are still prone to injury and are still prone to back injuries. Exhibit A: Justin Wilson, who suffered a broken in the 2013 IndyCar season finale at Fontana but that injury occurred after being t-boned by Tristan Vautier, not by sliding up into the wall.

While the apron would allow for more room for passing, the last two Indianapolis 500s had plenty of passing. If 68 lead changes this year wasn't enough for you, then I think you should lower your standards. Believe it or not, this year's race may have seen too much passing. Would the return of the apron see a further dilution of the racing? While that is possible, we do know the officials at IndyCar aren't afraid to play with the levels of downforce and they could adjust them to make passing more difficult at Indianapolis while not making it impossible. In that case, the apron could be welcomed to give the drivers more room to race side-by-side into and through a corner.

The apron should be used for all races at IMS. IndyCar, NASCAR, sports cars, Indy Lights, everyone should be allowed to dip down if they want to. We don't know need the Indianapolis 500 being decided because a driver accidentally dropped two tires below the painted lines. Let them race as they did from 1911 to 1992. We should keep an eye though toward driver safety and make sure even with the additional safety measures of the SAFER barrier, HANS device and DW12 chassis, there is not a rise in injuries from accidents with the return of the apron.