Curt Cavin

curt.cavin@indystar.com

Thursday's shift in Verizon IndyCar Series points equaled a balance of power for the season that begins next week in St. Petersburg, Fla.

That was the takeaway from what starts as a complicated modification of the point system announced by IndyCar officials. It sounds confusing, but it's mostly not.

The series' three 500-mile races, including the Indianapolis 500, will receive double the normal amount of points this year. It's not that they're deemed more important; it's that there are fewer of them on the schedule.

The IndyCar Series has 18 races this season. Six are on ovals and 12 are on road courses or street circuits, including street circuit doubleheaders in Detroit, Houston and Toronto. Doubling the points at Indianapolis, Pocono and Fontana, Calif., offsets that inequality.

With 42 points now available in Indianapolis 500 qualifying -- more on that later -- IndyCar will offer 600 points on non-ovals and 492 on ovals. That is much fairer.

As for Indianapolis qualifying, the new two-day format needed some incentives, and the series has provided them. On Saturday, May 17, when everyone will be trying to earn one of the 33 starting positions for the May 25 race, the top qualifier will receive 33 points. Second will get 32, third 31, fourth 30 and so on down the line. The slowest will receive one point.

People moaned when IndyCar announced that all participants will be required to re-qualify on Sunday, May 18, for an actual starting spot, but at least that session has something at stake. Drivers in the Fast Nine Shootout can earn not only the pole, the prestige and the bonus check but an additional nine points. Second will earn eight points, third seven and so on down the line.

As for the rest of the point checks and balances announced Thursday, it's awkward at best. IndyCar did well to remove the penalty of 10 starting positions for unapproved (meaning early) engine changes; it was confusing to the fans and only hurt the race. But the counter to that is a complicated setup that will require a spread sheet.

If I have this straight, engine manufacturers will be rewarded with 10 points if an engine reaches 2,500 miles. If a team chooses to change the engine prematurely, it will be docked 10 points -- the driver will be, too -- and the car will start at the back of the field in the race (except at Indy). That's a much strong deterrent than 10 starting spots.

Like competitors, manufacturers also will get two points for a car leading the most laps in a race and one point for each car that leads the race. That part is digestible.

The winners here are oval-track specialists such as Ed Carpenter. They closed the gap on the roadies, which is the ultimate point.