What Is the Inner Loop/Bus Stop Rule at Watkins Glen?

NASCAR Cup Series racers will have to be wary of the inner loop rule at Watkins Glen this Sunday. It is something that can slip a driver’s mind at times, as was the case during the Xfinity Series race on Saturday. Connor Zilisch, Sam Mayer, and Ty Gibbs were penalized for going straight through the ‘Bus Stop’ chicane present on the track’s inner loop at the same time and some fans were left confused as to why.

Well, once you get to know what it is, it’s quite easy to understand where the drivers went wrong and how the rule promotes fair racing. The inner loop is a section of the track between turns 4 and 5, immediately following the backstretch. It is a fast, sweeping left-right-left combination that the heavy stock cars sometimes have trouble navigating.

If a driver misses the braking zone into the loop, they can choose to take the road that goes straight past the loop and join the track just before turn 5. However, there is a catch. If a driver decides to take this road, they will have to bring their car to a complete stop before continuing.

Going on straight on this road will give a driver a huge advantage over one who drives through the loop, otherwise also referred to as the bus stop. This straight road is outside track limits so it is only fair that drivers taking it don’t gain an unfair advantage. The penalties for not being able to follow this rule are quite severe.

If the stop-and-go rule is not followed, the driver will be adjudged guilty and be handed a pass-through penalty. If there is not enough time to serve the same, 30 seconds are added to the driver’s time at the end of the race, which would subsequently drop them several places from where they originally finished.

The rule does not indicate where drivers need to or can stop. That decision is left up to the driver’s discretion, as long as it is on the straight road which navigates the inner loop. The car will have to come to a complete halt on the straight road adjacent to the loop, before the exit of the inner loop itself.

With all the pushing and shoving that goes on during Cup Series road course events, a lot of drivers might have no choice but to take this route. That’s when they’ll have to remember to come to a complete halt or get penalized. That includes the time when the cars are going under caution as well.

Gibbs, Zilisch, and Mayer were penalized since they took the straight road and did not stop under a yellow flag. All three were penalized and Gibbs, who is a Cup Series playoff driver, will do well to remember that on Sunday.