RELATED: NASCAR to patrol restarts more closely
JOLIET, Ill. — One day after NASCAR officials expanded their monitoring of the restart zone, the rules governing restarts came into clearer focus during Sunday’s pre-race drivers’ and crew chiefs’ meeting.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Managing Director Richard Buck reiterated the procedures just hours before Sunday’s myAFibRisk.com 400 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM), the opening race in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs. In doing so, he mentioned the use of a dedicated camera and official to keep closer watch on the zone, a practice that went into place during XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series races Saturday at the 1.5-mile track.
“There’s been a lot of dialogue and a lot of discussion, and we thank you for that, but we want to be clear on the restart rule,” Buck said. “We understand the stakes are very high, so we want to be crystal clear on the restart rules and how they will be enforced. The restart rules have not changed. We will continue to monitor every restart using the technology available to us. We’ve allocated some more resources. We have an additional dedicated camera that’s dedicated on the restart zone. We also have a senior NASCAR official at the restart zone on the ground.”
“We will monitor the restarts diligently. If a restart is under review, we will announce it over race control and we will follow with a ruling. The rules for restarts, as in the video, the leader is the control car. The leader must maintain caution car speed. The leader cannot restart before the double red lines at the beginning of the restart zone. If the leader does not restart the race by the single red line, the starter will restart the race.”
Restart procedures have been the subject of considerable discussion in recent weeks as late-season gamesmanship has increased. Matt Kenseth‘s unpenalized advantage over Joey Logano on the final restart last weekend in the regular-season finale at Richmond only stoked the flames.
Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, addressed the topic during the “NASCAR America Sunday” pre-race show on NBCSN. He hinted that the measures of adding a camera and an official to monitor restarts was a short-term solution for the Chase, but that over the long term, NASCAR would explore solutions through the use of technology.
“We’ve got a bunch of technology in race control as well,” O’Donnell said. “This is just an additional step to have that frozen camera on this area and to have a senior official there. An extra set of eyes never hurts. Again, we don’t want to make a penalty, but rest assured we will if we’ve got to.”
Buck also singled out certain rules for emphasis during his remarks in the drivers’ meeting:
— Rule 10.7.1, the “side skirt” rule. Buck said that any unapproved mid-race modifications to or flaring of the sheet metal ahead of the rear tires would be penalized.
— Lining up properly, nose to tail and door to door. Buck stressed the importance of listening to spotters and race control to get in the correct order, then emphasized tightening up the double-file formation throughout the field. “Remember everybody, it is all our responsibilities. Drivers, it’s your responsibility to restart correctly. This is your warning.”
— Entry and exit on pit road. Buck reminded drivers of the location and procedures for committing to pit road and the process for blending back onto the race track at the exit of Turn 2. Jeff Gordon, making the final Chicagoland Speedway start of his career, asked two follow-up questions about the blend-line process; he was told that an official would monitor the area and that drivers are to keep all four tires below the solid white line until reaching the dotted line near the backstretch.