Circuit lines and boost timing
Track layout markings dictate race procedures just as strictly as electronic systems do. Following a procedural revision announced on May 5, 2026, starting at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, IndyCar permitted drivers in both the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT to deploy their Push to Pass horsepower boost during restarts on road and street layouts. Knowing when can IndyCar drivers use push to pass on restarts comes down to two specific physical and procedural markers: the green flag must be waving and the car must cross the venue's alternate start-finish line. The update applied strictly to road and street circuits rather than ovals, and it did not grant access on the approach to the initial race start before those conditions were met.
Separating system activation from legal passing zones
Receiving the extra turbocharger boost, which provides approximately 60 additional horsepower, does not alter where on the track an overtake can legally take place. IndyCar maintained its explicit restriction barring overtakes prior to the restart line, regardless of whether a driver has already engaged the overtake button. Furthermore, total race allocation times and individual push durations remained unchanged, meaning extra boost on a restart consumes the same limited allotment drivers rely on throughout a stint.
Ahead of the change taking effect in May 2026, drivers debated how the circuit-specific restart rule would influence tactics. Kyle Kirkwood expected competitors might conserve boost during pit in-and-out laps to defend on subsequent restarts, while David Malukas noted that equal access across the field might dampen the advantage, outside of reaction times or cold-tire traction issues. According to INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles, the formal codification followed an evaluation initiated after a system software failure at Long Beach.
Official reference: official announcement.
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