New pit stop procedures for select Xfinity and Truck Series events

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emailBy: Kelly Crandall | 9 hours ago

NASCAR has announced a new procedure for select Xfinity and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races this season.

The rules will be in place for four Xfinity Series races (May 30 at Mid-Ohio; both Iowa events [photo above]; and Aug. 1 at Road America) and three Truck Series races (June 12 at Iowa; Aug. 21 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway; and Sept. 6 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park). Those events are standalone races where they are not competing with the NASCAR Cup Series.

The rules are as follows:

• The field is frozen when the caution is displayed.
• Stage breaks will have a full pit cycle (two opportunities to pit). For non-stage breaks, there will be a full pit cycle (two opportunities to pit). There also could be an optional quickie yellow that permits the entire field to pit together on the same lap.
• The team roster will consist of eight crew members.
• The pit crew — four to service the car, one fueler, and one driver assist — must come from among those eight team members on the roster.
• The pit stop must be completed within a designated time period.
• On an oval track, teams may add fuel and change two tires per stop.
• On a road course, teams may add fuel or change four tires per stop.
• A driver will restart at the tail end of the field if the team exceeds time limit on pit road or if they pit other than on the designated lap
• If a car is involved in an incident, the team will be allowed to change four tires at once to avoid damaging the vehicle
• A two-lap penalty will be issued if a team performs four tires and fuel on any pit stop; changes tires under green (unless approved by NASCAR for damage); or performs four tires on any pit stop (oval track only)

Restart lineups:

• Vehicles that did not pit.
• Vehicles that pitted one time, followed by vehicles that pitted two times.
• Free pass vehicle, wave around vehicles and penalty vehicles.

The June 5 Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway will be an exception to these rules, as will the July 30 race at Eldora. (Eldora, a dirt race, already has its own pit road rules.)

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Considering most Xfinity and Truck Series teams utilize pit crews from the NASCAR Cup Series, the hope is using this new procedure will help with logistics for standalone events.

“We really feel like this new pit stop procedure for the standalone Gander Truck Series and Xfinity Series races is kind of a unique opportunity to try something new that we hope will provide some increased incentive for teams to make differing strategy calls,” said Eric Peterson, Xfinity Series technical manager on NASCAR.com. “It will help mix up the event, provide more comers and goers and on-track passing during the race.

“The only way to really get a view of this is to do it,” Peterson continued, “and we felt like taking a deliberate approach and doing it at the standalone events would be an excellent way to test it out, analyze the results when we get done and see where we go.”

Download the NASCAR graphic HERE.

Gander Outdoors Truck, NASCAR, Xfinity