The testing window for teams in the Verizon IndyCar Series opened on Tuesday, allowing them to hit the track at Sebring International Raceway and other facilities to prepare for upcoming season.

Meanwhile, back at IndyCar headquarters in Indianapolis, the league’s president of competition and operations Jay Frye said an item that may be on cars in 2019 is being evaluated and tested.

The item is a protective windscreen that is designed to further protect a driver from major debris hitting them in the helmet area. Many believe such a windscreen would have protected Justin Wilson, who was killed when the nose cone off Sage Karam’s crashed race car hit him in the helmet during the race at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 23, 2015. Wilson never regained consciousness and died from those injuries the following day.

Frye told Autoweek that IndyCar hopes to have a prototype of the windscreen attached to the universal aero kit for on-track testing later this spring.

“Our goal was to have one on the car this past fall or this winter, but there were a couple of things that happened that we didn’t get that done,” Frye said. “The first quarter of 2018 is our goal when to get it on the car. There have been a lot of behind-the-scenes things done with simulation and wind tunnels.

“We are full speed ahead to get the application we think is the best. We will decide at that point if it will be integrated and when. But the next step is to get it on the car, and we hope to have it on the car the first quarter of this year to see how it performs.”

It needs to be emphasized that this is a “windscreen” and not a “halo” that is being tested in Formula 1 or a “canopy” similar to that used on jet fighters. The thought of halos and canopies have drawn negative response from international racing fans and drivers, but windscreens have previously been used in IndyCar racing from the 1970s to the 1990s.

The screen would reach a height close to the top of the driver’s helmet, but it would not enclose the cockpit. In theory, it would deflect items and debris away from the driver’s head, saving them from potentially serious or even fatal injury.

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