NASCAR has made a change ahead of the trip to Watkins Glen International. The sanctioning body has moved the restart zone for all three national series races.
According to SVP of Competition Elton Sawyer, the restart zone will now move to the entrance of Turn 7, which sets up the race to the checkered flag. This is the turn where drivers previously made last ditch efforts to complete the race-winning pass.
"Something that we've worked closely with the drivers and the race teams on over the last several years, especially on the road courses, 'Where do we want the restart zones,'" Sawyer said during a Tuesday appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
"This year, we've elected to move it just as you enter Turn 7. So, once they exit that restart zone, then it's racing on."
It's important to note one key detail in this move. NASCAR rules dictate that drivers must stay in line until they cross the start-finish line. If they move out of line too early, they receive a penalty.
This will not be the case at Watkins Glen International. Once the drivers clear the restart zone in Turn 7, they are free to get out of line and jockey for position. Sawyer noted he anticipates cars being three-wide as they cross the start-finish line.
UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!
CHRIS BUESCHER PASSES SHANE VAN GISBERGEN TO WIN AT WATKINS GLEN! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/ZYjaSJuZ8f
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 15, 2024
This is not the first time that NASCAR has moved the restart zone to make for a cleaner race as drivers battle for the checkered flag. This change also took place at Circuit of the Americas, a road course where drivers would fan out after passing the start-finish line and then all try to make it through Turn 1.
These efforts did not pay off. Multiple cars spun while others sustained significant damage. As Sawyer said, Turn 1 at multiple road courses often became "calamity corner" in the closing laps.
"In an effort with the drivers to try to eliminate that as much as possible but continue to have exciting racing and let those guys kind of settle the battle on a race track without continuous cautions, we elected to start moving them back and get the restart kind of done sooner, if you will," Sawyer added.
"And then they've got the front straightaway to race. So I give them a little bit of separation, but still plenty of asphalt there to make moves. So that was the goal, and so far, in most of the road courses, we feel like we've accomplished that."