Pit road speeds will be reduced at all NTT INDYCAR SERIES road course and street circuit events for the 2020 season, INDYCAR announced Friday.

Speeds will be five miles per hour slower, reduced to 45 mph at all venues except Toronto’s Exhibition Place, which will have a limit of 35 mph. The reduction will be in effect for the first open test of the year, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.

Pit road speeds on oval tracks will continue to be 60 mph and secondary speed limits will be considered on a per-event basis.

The pit road speed reductions are part of a series of safety changes for the 17-race season, which officially begins March 13-15 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg held on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. The season, highlighted by the 104th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 24, consists of five oval tracks, five street circuits and seven permanent road courses.

INDYCAR has expanded the use of helmets by individuals going over the pit wall to all qualifying sessions on road courses and street circuits, pit stop practices and warmup sessions. Fuelers may perform no additional work.

During red flag conditions, work on a car will not permitted unless it is an INDYCAR-approved safety issue. The penalty for violating the rule is the car will be prohibited from further competition in that event.

A series of rules have been adopted related to the introduction of the Aeroscreen, the enhanced cockpit protection device new to all cars for the upcoming season:

• Each car will be allowed a dedicated pit crew member whose only over-the-wall jurisdiction will be attending to the Aeroscreen. The crew member must not cross the pit wall until the car has come to a complete stop in the pit box, and he may only work while the car’s rear tires are elevated. The crew member must remain in control of all tear-off materials at all times and return to the cold side of the pit wall when the work is completed.

• To account for the Aeroscreen, the minimum weight of each car has increased by 65 pounds for each type of circuit: 1,700 pounds for road/street events, 1,655 pounds for speedway events and 1,690 pounds for short oval events.

• Aeroscreen and all related components must be used as supplied.

• Drivers must be able to exit the car within eight seconds to INDYCAR’s satisfaction and by a method determined by INDYCAR.

Next week’s full-field test can be viewed live on the INDYCAR Mobile App and INDYCAR.com. Twenty-six drivers using 25 cars are scheduled to participate over the course of the two-day test.