NASCAR has issued an important clarification to teams ahead of the race weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The sanctioning body has provided a list of acceptable safety reasons to pit in another team's stall.
For starters, pitting in another team's pit stall will still draw a penalty from officials. However, if there is a legitimate safety concern, this penalty for pitting outside of the box will be relatively minor.
The driver will either serve a pass-through penalty (green flag conditions), or they will restart at the tail end of the field (under caution).
According to NASCAR, the examples of a safety issue include the following:
- Tighten loose wheel nuts or lug nuts
- Remove a fuel can
- Remove a wedge wrench
- Remove the jack from under the vehicle
All of these reasons fall under the category of safety due to the risks posed to competitors, industry members, and fans. For example, if a driver loses a tire while racing, it is possible that another car could hit that tire and launch it. This is a major concern.
As part of Thursday's clarification, NASCAR also reiterated that teams would not be able to stop in another pit stall for a competition adjustment. This means that a driver such as William Byron would not be allowed to stop in Kyle Larson's pit box so the No. 5 team could improve the No. 24's handling.
"If a vehicle receives service in another team's pit stall for competition adjustments, the vehicle may receive a lap(s) penalty," the release from NASCAR stated.
One reason for this clarification is last weekend's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Christopher Bell had to stop in Chase Briscoe's pit stall after the No. 20 pit crew failed to fully tighten a lug nut on the left side of the Toyota.
Instead of losing a wheel on the track and losing two laps as part of a penalty, Bell simply restarted at the rear of the field. He was able to remain on the lead lap at the high-speed intermediate track. He finished 12th.
NASCAR Communications said in this week's episode of the "Hauler Talk" podcast that a rule change was unlikely due to the inherent safety concerns surrounding lost wheels. However, the expectation was that competition officials would continue to evaluate the rule and the attached penalties.