With the next-gen cars leveling up the field, pit strategies play a major role in the outcome of each race. Needlessly said, the pit spots need to be perfect. On that note, how does a NASCAR driver know where to stop on the pit road?
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After the driver has committed to the pit lane, the pit crew needs to replenish the car with fuel and change tires in a matter of 11 to 12 seconds, before the machine scoots forward and continues to race. Hence, the spot where the car must stop needs to be predetermined with utmost care.
Even an iota of miscalculation could potentially threaten the life of a pit crew member. Therefore, the crew measures everything out before the race even starts. Vibrant red tapes are applied on the road to denote individual parking spaces.
This helps determine the distance that the car needs to have from the pit stall so that the jack handle can perfectly extend to the sides of the car. In a video shared by Joe Gibbs Racing, this exact procedure is displayed by the #11 (Denny Hamlin) crew.
How does a driver know when to pit?
It is impossible to run on a NASCAR oval and win a race all by oneself. It is the crew chief and the spotter who navigate the way for the driver through the slugfest that most NASCAR races turn out to be. While the latter navigates the way, the former communicates strategies.
Pit stops are determined by a range of factors, including race dynamics, tire wear, fuel levels, track conditions, and the performance of other drivers. However, there are rules down the pit road.
One cannot just speed down the pit lane. There is a certain permitted speed limit that every driver must follow. RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski learned it the hard way while caught speeding during the 2022 race at Talladega after being struck with a pass-through penalty.
For many drivers, the new Next Gen car has made pit halts quite tricky. JTG Daugherty team’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. told the Speedway Digest, “Coming into pit road is totally different. Getting into your pit box is difficult. You’re downshifting on the way into pit road. So, you get to second gear from fifth… you would always just throw it in neutral.”
However, now, one needs to push the clutch in and go through first, then go to neutral to get to the perfect spot to make the pit stop. It is indeed interesting watching so many factors play their respective roles in determining the course of the race.
