Rule not gag order, series boss says

Stronger code aims to prevent drivers from hurting brand with comments

The Verizon IndyCar Series has issued a fivepoint bulletin to its teams as a strengthened “detrimental competitor conduct code,” but the Indianapolis- based sanctioning body will not punish Ed Carpenter for comments made to fellow driver Sage Karam after Saturday night’s race at Iowa Speedway.

“Use that as an example,” said Hulman & Company CEO Mark Miles, IndyCar’s senior official. “This is not a gag order, and this will not be imposed in a Draconian way.”

Despite the scope of the new rule, Miles said IndyCar officials would use good judgment when incidents such as Carpenter and Karam pop up.

The rule stems from Miles’ frustration with competitors after close racing last month at Auto Club Speedway.

Series points leader Juan Pablo Montoya called the racing “stupid,” and reigning IndyCar champion Will Power said, “Someone is going to die.”

That didn’t sit well with Miles, who vowed to take a stronger stance against such criticism in the future.

It is important for IndyCar to protect its brand, its stakeholders and its drivers, Miles said, and that’s what this rule does. He said several people within the sport thought IndyCar needed to go deeper than its previous rule against conduct detrimental to the sport.

IndyCar President Derrick Walker said, “There’s no limits on a driver or competitor disagreeing with our judgment.” However, that person can’t “spoil the brand by degrading it” as a few did after the race in Fontana, Calif.

“You can’t say, ‘ IndyCar is all screwed up; it doesn’t know what it’s doing,’ ” Walker said. “There’s no sport where you can do that.”

Miles said Major League Baseball didn’t even allow a competitor to question an official, such as the calling of the strike zone. IndyCar allows questioning officials to a point.

As for the Carpenter- Karam incident, Walker said he didn’t see anything that approached a violation of the new conduct rule. That was two drivers disagreeing with how they were racing each other, and IndyCar listened to both sides of the story after the race.

Walker noted that Karam was not penalized for his driving and Carpenter was not punished for critiquing that driving even as the exchange was on pit road in front of the television camera and other reporters.

Punishment for the expanded rule was not defined.

Here is the full text of the rule ( 9.3.8 Detrimental Competitor Conduct):

Competitors must be respectful, professional, fair and courteous to others. At all times, competitors must not attempt to or engage in conduct or ( make a statement) that in the judgment of IndyCar:

A) Threatens or denigrates any official, ( any) fellow competitor or the IndyCar brand.

B) Calls into question the integrity or legitimacy of the rules or their application, construction or interpretation.

C) Denigrates the IndyCar Series racing schedule or event( s).

D) Threatens or denigrates any IndyCar business relationship, including those with sponsors or broadcasters.

E) Otherwise threatens the integrity, reputation or public confidence of the sport, IndyCar or IndyCar Series.

DOUG MCSCHOOLER, AP Mark Miles, IndyCar’s senior official, says of the strengthened driver conduct code, “This will not be imposed in a Draconian way.”