While both drivers experienced their fair share of late-race adversity, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. reaped the rewards from their quick pit crews last weekend at Darlington Raceway.
Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing crew dished out the single fastest four-tire pit stop of the Throwback Weekend, completing service on the SunnyD Ford in 9.576 seconds, according to Racing Insights. Their quick work kept Harvick in the hunt all day, and despite receiving damage in the penultimate crash of the afternoon, the team rallied for a season-best second-place finish, its second since Harvick’s most recent win (Richmond, August 2022).
RELATED: Darlington results
The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team behind Truex, however, was unstoppable for most of the afternoon. The crew of front changer Lee Cunningham, carrier CJ Bailey, rear changer Danny Olszowy, jackman Caleb Dirks and fueler Matthew Tyrrell posted the best average four-tire stop of the afternoon, netting out at 10.162 seconds over the course of their afternoon.
That speedy performance helped keep the No. 19 Toyota out front to lead a race-high 145 of 295 laps after Truex’s pole performance in Saturday’s qualifying session. Truex’s finish, however, didn’t match the incredible run. A collision with Joey Logano in Turns 1 and 2 at Lap 281 triggered a multi-car crash, ending the No. 19 team’s day and relegating it to a 31st-place finish.
Truex’s fiercest competitor of the day was none other than Ross Chastain, who he bounced off of in Turns 3 and 4 while fighting for the Stage 2 victory. Chastain was another benefactor of a fast pit crew Sunday afternoon, leading 93 laps of the Goodyear 400 thanks in part to those quick stops.
ITR: Was Martin Truex Jr. too aggressive at Darlington?
A steady Sunday at Darlington led Chastain’s No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team to vault past William Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports crew for the top spot in the year-long best average four-tire pit stop standings, now holding a series-best average of 11.088 seconds.
On a downslide, however, is the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing pit crew for driver Chase Briscoe. The crew ranked second in the season average rankings following the April 16 race at 11.282 seconds. In the last month — a stretch of four races — the No. 14 team has slid to 14th at 11.577 seconds after Darlington.
It all adds up to Friday night’s NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge presented by Mechanix Wear at North Wilkesboro Speedway ahead of Sunday night’s All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Each team will perform a four-tire pit stop to determine the starting lineup for Saturday night’s heat races and the All-Star Open for the 16 teams not yet locked into the All-Star Race. The winning race team will additionally be awarded a $100,000 bonus for completing the fastest stop Friday night.
MORE: Get up to speed on All-Star format | Details on Pit Crew Challenge
See below to analyze additional pit-road statistics from Racing Insights.
10 FASTEST FOUR-TIRE PIT STOPS IN 2023
| Rank | Track | Driver | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond | Corey LaJoie | 9.309 seconds |
| 2 | Kansas | Bubba Wallace | 9.509 seconds |
| t-3 | Kansas | Ty Dillon | 9.543 seconds |
| t-3 | Kansas | Daniel Suárez | 9.543 seconds |
| t-5 | Kansas | Josh Berry (No. 48) | 9.576 seconds |
| t-5 | Kansas | Kyle Larson | 9.576 seconds |
| 7 | Richmond | Corey LaJoie | 9.615 seconds |
| t-8 | Phoenix | Ty Gibbs | 9.643 seconds |
| t-8 | Kansas | Aric Almirola | 9.643 seconds |
| 10 | Richmond | Chase Briscoe | 9.647 seconds |
BEST AVERAGE FOUR-TIRE PIT STOPS TIMES IN 2023
BEST PIT CREW BY RACE IN 2023
** Pit Times are in seconds
| Track | Fastest 4 Tire Pit | Average 4 Tire Stop |
|---|---|---|
| Daytona | William Byron 11.278 | Kyle Larson 12.763 |
| Auto Club | Daniel Suárez 9.777 | Ross Chastain 10.896 |
| Las Vegas | Alex Bowman 9.776 | Chase Briscoe 10.259 |
| Phoenix | Ty Gibbs 9.643 | Corey LaJoie 10.404 |
| Atlanta | Kyle Busch 10.243 | Kyle Busch 11.094 |
| COTA | Martin Truex Jr. 9.684 | Austin Dillon 10.668 |
| Richmond | Corey LaJoie 9.309 | Alex Bowman 10.388 |
| Bristol Dirt | NA | NA |
| Martinsville | Kyle Larson 9.677 | Kyle Larson 10.051 |
| Talladega | Daniel Suárez 11.011 | Ross Chastain 11.577 |
| Dover | Brad Keselowski 9.766 | Brad Keselowski 10.099 |
| Kansas | Bubba Wallace 9.509 | Bubba Wallace 10.121 |
| Darlington | Kevin Harvick 9.576 | Martin Truex Jr. 10.162 |
| Charlotte | William Byron 9.383 | William Byron 10.008 |
| Gateway | Ty Gibbs 9.710 | Alex Bowman 9.743 |
| Sonoma | Kyle Busch 9.185 | Kyle Busch 10.089 |
| Nashville | Kyle Larson 9.281 | Chase Briscoe 10.081 |
| Chicago Street | Chase Elliott 11.877 | Kyle Larson 12.799 |
| Atlanta | Alex Bowman 10.177 | Daniel Suárez 11.044 |
| New Hampshire | Daniel Suárez 9.677 | Denny Hamlin 10.176 |
| Pocono | Denny Hamlin 9.810 | Ross Chastain 10.327 |
| Richmond | Daniel Suárez 9.260 | Ty Gibbs 9.764 |
| Michigan | Daniel Suárez 9.777 | Austin Dillon 10.310 |
| Indianapolis RC | Ty Gibbs 11.178 | Ty Dillon 12.279 |
| Watkins Glen | Bubba Wallace 10.942 | Kyle Larson 12.456 |
| Daytona | Erik Jones 10.277 | Erik Jones 11.578 |
| Darlington | Chase Briscoe 9.409 | Austin Dillon 10.134 |