Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indy 500 winner and 2012 IndyCar champion, recently spoke out about the increasingly aggressive and desperate nature of overtaking attempts among IndyCar drivers, particularly during restarts. Hunter-Reay, who is competing in the 109th running of the Indy 500 for Dreyer and Reinbold Racing (DRR), highlighted how the racecraft has evolved over the past decade toward more risky maneuvers as drivers try to gain positions early in the race.

He explained that nowadays, drivers show more desperation to make passes, often pushing the limits by going over curbs and taking aggressive lines to find clean air. This shift is partly due to the new car specifications, including increased weight and a spec chassis, which affect handling and race dynamics. Hunter-Reay noted that while it remains possible to move up many positions over the full 500-mile distance, the early stages and especially restarts are where drivers aggressively try to gain one or two spots, leading to more incidents and caution flags.

Reflecting on his own experience at the 2024 Indy 500, Hunter-Reay acknowledged that he fell victim to this desperation during a Lap 9 restart, where he made contact with Kyle Larson’s Arrow McLaren car, resulting in minor damage. Later in the race, on Lap 107, Hunter-Reay was involved in another collision with Scott Dixon, which caused him to spin and ultimately retire due to extensive car damage. These incidents illustrate the high-risk environment created by drivers’ urgent attempts to improve their positions early on.

Hunter-Reay emphasized that this aggressive approach is a significant change from previous years and is driven by the knowledge that once the race settles, overtaking becomes much harder. Therefore, drivers feel compelled to be more assertive at the start and restarts to avoid being stuck in the midfield for long stints. This “desperation” for overtakes, according to Hunter-Reay, is a defining characteristic of current IndyCar racing, impacting both race outcomes and the frequency of on-track incidents.

In summary, Ryan Hunter-Reay called attention to the destructive consequences of drivers’ desperate overtaking attempts during restarts in IndyCar, noting that this trend has intensified with changes in car design and race dynamics, leading to more crashes and caution periods in the race.