IndyCar yesterday "issued a five-point bulletin to its teams as a strengthened 'detrimental competitor conduct code'" after recent high-profile incidents involving drivers publicly criticizing the series, according to Curt Cavin of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles, whose company owns IndyCar, said, "This is not a gag order and this will not be imposed in a Draconian way.” Cavin notes the rule "stems from Miles’ frustration with competitors following last month’s close racing at Auto Club Speedway." Driver Juan Pablo Montoya "called the racing 'stupid,' and that didn’t sit well with Miles, who vowed to take a stronger stance against such criticism." IndyCar President of Operations & Competition Derrick Walker said, "There’s no limits on a driver or competitor disagreeing with our judgment.” However, Walker added a driver may not “spoil the brand by degrading it." Walker: "You can’t say IndyCar is all screwed up; it doesn’t know what it’s doing. There’s no sport where you can do that." Meanwhile, Cavin reported IndyCar "will not punish" driver Ed Carpenter for comments made to fellow driver Sage Karam following Saturday's race at Iowa Speedway (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/22). Cavin notes the new rules were "largely met with disapproval among IndyCar's fan base -- one calling the series 'VanillaCar' -- although no competitor appeared to weigh in for obvious reasons." The new conduct code "comes on the heels of three consecutive relatively strong ratings on NBCSN for oval races" at ACS, Iowa and Milwaukee Mile (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/22).
