Head2Head: Truck pit rules a standard or just a spoiler

It took a little while for me to get used to, but I am a huge fan of the new pit rules in the Truck Series and absolutely think they need to be spread across the three national series.

Spreading out tires and fuel into two separate stops has changed the complexity of the Truck races. Quite frankly, you never know what is going to happen. Racing has become too predictable -- we know when teams will pit, we know they will more than likely take four tires. There isn't much chance in racing.

What the Truck Series has done has put the unpredictable element back in. Will teams come back in a second time for tires? We really don't know -- and that makes it exciting.

On top of that, it puts more emphasis on the team aspect of racing. Two pit stops in a single caution puts extra weight on pit-crew performance. On green-flag stops it's even more vital to pit without a mistake.

NASCAR is a phenomenal sport, but at times it's a bore. Even the most hard-nosed NASCAR fan will admit that. But the Truck Series has consistently gotten better and better, and rules like this are part of the reason.

Just imagine how exciting places like Pocono or Atlanta or Fontana could be if the pit stops were a crapshoot. Teams gambling on tires or fuel to gain that important track position, instead of doing the status quo of 18 gallons of Sunoco and four new tires -- now that's the kind of racing I like to watch.

Truck must fit a template (or car, for that matter) -- check. Air pressure must be specific amount -- check. Springs, shocks, fuel, ride height, spoiler height and angle -- check. What else can NASCAR mandate?

Some things must fall under a rule, specifically when safety is involved (number of crewmen over the pit wall, members must wear helmets, etc.). But dictating what a team can do -- or can't do, in this case -- when its driver brings the vehicle down pit road is too much.

NASCAR adopted the new pit rules for the Truck Series 2009. The umbrella of the rule was to limit teams to just 12 members at the track (driver, spotter and crew chief included) and only five over the wall during pit stops. The forecast was to save money. But also falling under the rule was that teams can only change tires or take fuel with each stop -- not both. The logic, of course, was so teams could manage their stops with just nine crew members available. Pit stops are even more of a strategic move.

By limiting the service on pit road, it adds a strategic element to each race. What it also does is remove why we all pay to watch.

The importance of having the right pit strategy has increased. However, the importance of a pass coming out of Turn 4 for the victory has now lessened. This secondary rule change has taken the spotlight from on-track activity and focused it on the brains of crew chiefs -- not exactly why I pay $54.25 for an 11th-row seat at Kentucky on Saturday night.