A crew member glues lug nuts onto a tire.(image: Peter Casey, us of a these days activities)
CHARLOTTE -- 5 days after three-time champion Tony Stewart railed in opposition t NASCAR's lack of a lug nut policy and accused the sanctioning body of being lax on safety, NASCAR despatched a memo to crew chiefs Monday afternoon and altered the rule of thumb.
groups will now be required to have all 5 lug nuts "installed in a safe and comfy manner" or have the driving force possibility being referred to as back into the pits all the way through the race. If the infraction is found after the race, a crew chief will acquire a minimal $20,000 high-quality and a one-race suspension.
Tires ought to have all five lug nuts glued on before the race. in the event that they aren't, the crew ought to immediately fix the problem.
"NASCAR has been intently monitoring the aggressive suggestions on pit street," NASCAR senior vice chairman of competition Scott Miller mentioned. "defense is a neighborhood we don't take frivolously, as our record has naturally indicated. It's important for us to have a system in area immediately for addressing lug nut setting up, whereas we also work alongside the business to increase the greatest lengthy-time period answer."
but Stewart said taking the circumstance calmly become precisely what NASCAR changed into doing by way of letting cars race at 200 mph without all the lug nuts connected to the wheels. There have been many circumstances of loose wheels, above all in contemporary races, and one in all Stewart's concerns turned into that a wheel could fly off a motor vehicle and injure a driver or fan.
NASCAR's coverage given that it moved to a video enforcement equipment of pit highway remaining 12 months and laid off many of its officials, who had prior to now monitored no matter if lug nuts were on the wheel, turned into to allow individual teams to make the call on variety of lug nuts attached.
"We shouldn't be taking part in games with safeguard to win races," Stewart mentioned. "it's going to be out-performing the other groups, not jeopardizing drivers' lives by teams inserting two lug nuts on to are attempting to get two extra spots off pit road."
NASCAR turned into angered via Stewart's feedback, however, and without delay issued a $35,000 high-quality for criticizing the sanctioning body. That, in flip, outraged drivers, who launched a unity remark in the course of the one-12 months-old Drivers Council and promised to pay Stewart's fine.
NASCAR validated to united states today activities that Stewart's penalty remains in region.
Now, with Stewart apparently a catalyst for the change, NASCAR has revised its policy.
Rodney Childers - who's crew chief for Kevin Harvick's No. four Chevrolet, a part of the Stewart-Haas Racing stable - tweeted 'all of the years of hitting 5, and hardly ever was all 20 on post race.. i'll sit at domestic for every week at some element..'
And Joey Meier, spotter for Brad Keselowski's No. 2, tweeted: 'On greater than 1 occasion, again when teams used 5 lugs, there had been automobiles in Victory Lane with missing lugs. it's going to occur once again.'
follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck
photographs: 2016 dash Cup race winners
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