New pit stop procedures in select Xfinity, Truck Series races for 2020
- NASCAR has announced new pit stop procedures that will take place at a handful of Xfinity Series and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races this season
- Firstly, as per usual, the field will be frozen following a caution, whether for a stage break otherwise
- The teams will typically be given two opportunities to pit, though caution periods may be deemed “quickie yellows” at NASCAR’s discretion, only allowing for one opportunity to pit
- The pit stop must be completed within a designated time period (TBD)
- For oval tracks, teams are allowed to add fuel and change two tires per stop
- For road courses, teams are permitted to add fuel or change four tires per stop
- For the restart, the field will line up as follows: Vehicles that did not pit; vehicles that pitted one time; vehicles that pitted twice; lapped cars that pitted once; lapped cars that pitted twice; free pass vehicles; wave around vehicles; and penalty vehicles
- Two-lap penalties will be issued for the following violations: Changing four tires and fueling on any pit stop; changing tires under green flag conditions (unless approved by NASCAR for damage); performing a four-tire stop at any time on oval tracks
- A driver will need to restart at the tail end of the field for the following reasons: If the allotted time limit on pit road is exceeded; NASCAR allows the team to change four tires on one stop due to an on-track incident; and if the team pits at any time other than the designated lap
- The team roster at these events will be comprised of eight crew members and the pit crew (four to service the car, one fueler, and one to assist the driver) must come from this eight-man crew
- These new rules will take place at the following Xfinity Series events: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on May 30th; Iowa Speedway on June 13th and August 1st; and Road America on August 8th
- The following Truck Series races will include the new pit road rules: Iowa Speedway on June 12th; World Wide Technology Raceway on August 21st; and Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on September 6th
- Stage lengths will be altered as needed so that green flag stops will no longer be necessary
Additional Info: Info-graphic breaking down the changes … From NASCAR.com’s Zack Albert … From NBCSports.com’s Dustin Long
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Texas Motor Speedway Announces 2020 Schedule
- The 1.5-mile oval in Fort, Worth Texas will have three major race weekends along with a few other events scattered throughout the year
- The three major weekend dates are March 26-29 (NASCAR triple header); June 4-6 (NTT IndyCar Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoor Truck Series); and October 23-25 (NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and ASCS triple header)
- TMS will once again host a Daytona 500 watch party using their large HDTV “Big Hoss” on February 15 and 16 for the Xfinity Series and Cup Series season openers
- The Universal Technical Institute Friday Night Drags amateur drag racing series runs every Friday night from June 19 through July 24
- The Ducks Unlimited Expo will take place from May 15-17
- A few other events include the Goodguys Lone Star Nationals in March and September; the C10 Nationals in May; the Pate swap meet in April/May and Southwest swap meet in September; and American Flat Track’s Half-Mile in May on the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track
Additional Info: Official announcement … Texas Motor Speedway Events page … Texas Motor Speedway ticket page
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Noble Aerospace Partners With Martin Truex Jr.
- 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. will serve as a public ambassador for Noble Aerospace, an aerospace metal finishing service for commercial and military contractors
- The company did not announce any sponsorship of Truex’s No. 19 Toyota Camry
- Truex finished second in points last season after winning seven races
Additional Info: Official release … Noble Aerospace website … Martin Truex Jr. driver page
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As a long time (35 Year) diehard television NASCAR race fan I’m growing weary of all this smoke and mirror hype and gimmicks that NASCAR keeps playing. If NASCAR wants to continue losing fans keep on with gimmicks. They are rapidly becoming as important as the NFL which I have not watched a game in three years with their anti-fan crap.