As a consequence of his fatal accident and major crashes involving drivers Kenny Bräck, Hélio Castroneves, Gil de Ferran and Mario Andretti in 2003, the IRL mandated rule changes from the 2004 Indianapolis 500 onward with the intention of reducing power by ten percent—approximately —and reduced speeds of around . Accordingly, car engine sizes were reduced from 3.5 L to 3.0 L and aerodynamics were altered in a bid to prevent cars becoming airborne.