NASCAR has sent out what they refer to as a “clarification” of rules regarding drivers pitting in another driver’s pit stall. This clarification follows Christopher Bell’s viral moment on pit road in Las Vegas this past weekend. Bell, who had a loose wheel, was forced to pit twice on the same trip down the pit road.
In this clarification, NASCAR stated: “If a vehicle receives service in another team’s pit stall to correct a safety issue, the vehicle will receive a flag status penalty (restart tail of the field or pass-through) for the vehicle pitting outside of the assigned pit box.”
This means that a team that pits in another team’s pit stall to make a safety-related adjustment will be moderately penalized. NASCAR’s examples of safety stops include tightening loose wheel nuts or lug nuts, removing a fuel can, removing a wedge wrench, and removing the jack from under the vehicle.
NASCAR goes on to clarify that if the adjustment is not safety-related, the driver could incur a more harsh penalty. “If a vehicle receives service in another team’s pit stall for competition adjustments, the vehicle may receive a lap(s) penalty.”
Sunday, after a pit stop mishap, Bell stopped in the pit box of teammate Chase Briscoe. The No. 19 team was quick, only having to tighten the lug nut on the No. 20’s left front tire. After this dramatic call, NASCAR officials told the team to restart at the tail end of the field. In comparison, if Bell had lost the wheel on track, the penalty would have been two laps.
Fans were not the only ones shocked by this call. As FOX Sports’ veteran broadcast booth was equally blown away. Play-by-play voice Mike Joy stated, “This is something I don’t think we’ve seen before.”
The move was not a decision made by Bell but by his Crew Chief, Adam Stevens, who exclaimed over the radio after Bell pulled out of their pit box, “Stop in somebody’s box!” This heads-up call from Stevens not only saved Bell laps, but crew members from a potential suspension.
Since Sunday, some fans have called this decision genius. Others have discussed whether this was a loophole in NASCAR’s rule book, as Bell recovered well from the penalty, finishing 12th. NASCAR has now clarified that teams must have a valid reason to do so, perhaps to prevent other teams from attempting this to benefit their race performance.
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