To level up the field, the biggest change that NASCAR has made in the past few years is the introduction of the Next Gen car. Today, every car on NASCAR’s roster is so close to each other that passing someone on the track is difficult. This has increased the importance of the pit crews and here’s how.
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According to two-time Cup Series champion, Kyle Busch, the best and easiest way to pass someone is to do it when they are standing still on the pit road. Indeed, that makes perfect sense. When the chance to beat someone solely by speed is non-existent, it all comes down to aerodynamic management, or more importantly, pit road strategies.
“I feel like the difference between first and 20th is much closer than it used to be,” said Rowdy. “When I had my heyday of pit crews at JGR, we were running, let’s just say we were running 120s, where the rest of JGR was 125 and then the rest of the competition was 130.”
“Now literally… if you’re not under 10 seconds, you’re nobody. You might as well not even play but now there are guys that are flying, I mean, 88s, 89s is a good stop, a fast stop…94s is probably about average,” the former JGR driver said, ahead of the Phoenix race.
There is no room for errors on the pit road, as one mistake on the track can perhaps be rectified at times, but a mistake on the pit road cannot. This is why the teams spend countless hours practicing pit stops at their respective facilities.
Kyle Busch is racing for a new team this year
Many might know of Busch’s plans to run a full year of Truck to try and win a championship there. This plan included his son Brexton, who, he said, would run selected races under the banner of KBM. However, when he sold off his team to Spire Motorsports, his fans wondered what would happen to his Truck Series dream.
Thankfully, it’s not over. Busch is expected to run five races for Spire Motorsports in 2024, as the Chevy team now has two full-time entries in the Truck Series. Besides Corey LaJoie, nobody has been confirmed as the driver of Spire’s second entry yet.
Busch started his Truck Series stint this year at Atlanta Motor Speedway and carried it over to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Next, he is all set to rev his engine at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 16, Texas Motor Speedway on April 12, and Darlington Raceway on May 10.
