2. NASCAR’s point of no return

NASCAR: Repairs must be made on pit row in five minutes.

Beginning later this month at NASCAR’s premier event at Daytona, if a car receives enough damage during an on-track incident that it must go to the garage, the team will not be allowed to get back on the track. The ban on wrecked cars was one of several rule updates announced Wednesday.

CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR will not allow damaged race cars to return to the track this season unless the repairs can be made on pit road within a tight window.

The ban on wrecked race cars continuing to compete was announced Wednesday in a series of a rule updates for the 2017 season.

Beginning this month at Daytona, if a car receives enough damage during an on-track incident that it must go to the garage for repairs, the team will not be allowed to repair it in an effort to get back on track. Damaged vehicles can be repaired on pit road during a five-minute cumulative time limit. Under the new process: ■ Body repairs are limited to the removal or reattachment of original parts with fasteners and tape.

■ Rods and supports may be used to reinforce original panels.

■ New or previously unused body panels are prohibited.

NASCAR said the new rule prevents severely damaged race cars from returning to the track and creating a safety hazard for other teams. Under NASCAR’s new format of running races in stages, it also means a car that wrecks in an early stage won’t be eligible to return for the final race-winning stage.

Not allowing teams to repair cars in the garage should be a significant saving on costs for teams.

It also could have cost Jimmie Johnson the 2009 title. He was involved in an early accident at Texas Motor Speedway, and his crew worked feverishly in the garage to make enough repairs to get Johnson back on the track. That effort by the Hendrick Motorsports crew is widely considered to have saved his title chances.

NASCAR also announced it will have a traveling safety crew starting this season, creating a consistent medical staff that drivers have been pushing for the past several years.

The safety crew will come from American Medical Response and ensure a physician and paramedics are in the safety vehicle at all Monster Energy Cup events. AMR will also provide a small group that will travel to each race, and a physician who will serve as NASCAR’s primary doctor.

NASCAR had long relied on local emergency crews to treat drivers while rival series have dedicated teams. IndyCar’s team is lauded as the best in the business and is credited with saving James Hinchcliffe’s life when he crashed during a 2015 practice for the Indianapolis 500. That accident raised another round of calls from NASCAR drivers for a regular crew.

“This partnership further strengthens NASCAR’s medical response capability, making our well-established, medical response system even better,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer.

AMR will position doctors and paramedics in a chase vehicle along with two NASCAR Track Services team members for on-track incidents.