WILL SINGLE-LUG WHEEL CHANGES RUIN THE PITSTOP SPECTACLE?
Likely by March, NASCAR will issue guidance on how much Cup Series teams can alter the traditional way they have conducted pitstops. But if fans are accustomed to seeing many lug nuts flying off wheels and 12 to 15-second pitstops, that’s going to change dramatically.
We’re not talking stops of a couple of seconds (unless it’s just for a splash of fuel) like F1 but, with the single-lug wheels, the length of stops will most certainly shorten. The art of a pitstop will still be a critical part of NASCAR, albeit in an abbreviated form. In fact, because of the drop in length of the stops, they are certain to become more critical and even more innovative as teams try perfecting them.
Joe Gibbs Racing has already spent considerable time trying to come up with a new routine of doing a four-tyre pitstop (one nearing nine seconds), and has spent countless hours honing the skills of each of the pitcrew members – who are often former semi-professional football players, picked for their athleticism – to best take advantage of their individual responsibility during the stop.
New pit guns – all from a single supplier – are being used due to the single lug-nut wheels that have also added to the transition for the series’ teams. What hasn’t changed is the fuelling of the car – and that more than anything may ultimately determine how quickly teams get off pitroad. But shorter tyre stops do open the door to more divergent strategies.