Pit Road Speed Trap Goes Hi Tech

[kat2220]

New timing system may make for slow going in pits
By Chris Jenkins
USA Today

Team members yearning for more consistent enforcement of pit road speeding penalties are about to get their wish in the form of a new electronic monitoring system. But to hear Nextel Cup Series director John Darby explain it, the teams' next wish might be to go back to the old system.

"I think the line of 'be careful what you ask for' people is going to be way long for a while," Darby says. "Because one thing about doing it electronically is it's hard-fast. And the day somebody's got to goose a throttle a little bit to avoid a wreck and they get nailed for speeding, it's not going to make sense to them. So that's the downside."

Darby says hardware for the system is being installed at racetracks and NASCAR hopes to have software perfected in time to use it at the Feb. 20 Daytona 500. NASCAR enforces speed limits on pit road to help protect crewmembers from being hit by cars.

Teams have complained that the old monitoring system, which involved officials timing cars by hand with stopwatches, led to inconsistent and inaccurate enforcement.

"The more gray areas that we get out of everything in NASCAR, the better off we're going to be," says Chad Knaus, Jimmie Johnson's crew chief.

Knaus believes an undeserved speeding penalty cost the No. 48 team a good finish in a race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway last September. The incident prompted team owner Rick Hendrick to call on NASCAR to begin using an electronic system.

Tommy Baldwin Jr., Kasey Kahne's crew chief, also is in favor of the electronic system. "That will keep everybody honest," Baldwin says. "It just brings everybody back down to a level playing field."

Darby says there wasn't anything wrong with the old system but NASCAR is changing at the teams' request. Under the old system, Darby says, officials had discretion to not penalize drivers who might have sped on pit road, for example, to avoid an accident.

But with electronic monitoring, Darby says, officials have no choice but to make speeding penalties black and white, regardless of the circumstances.

Knaus says NASCAR could avoid problems by allowing teams to install electronic speed sensors on their cars. Current cars don't have speedometers; drivers have to determine the proper speed by lining up behind the pace car before the race — an inexact science at best.

"If it does get to the point where they're going to start hitting us pretty hard for speeding, then they have to give us something that's more accurate than what we've got," Knaus says.

Says Baldwin: "You'd probably be better to take it a little bit easy, don't make any mistakes, rather than pushing it. But there'll be a lot of guys getting caught."

 

[Alverez]

I like the idea for consistantcy, but, the whole things about "black & white" is a lil on the stupid side.

If there's a wreck on the track come'n off the 4th turn at Dega, and a huge wreck ensues... I'm hear'n that a guy who dives to pit road to avoid killing his day, and maybe damage'n himself or someone else in the process will get a Black flag "pit road speeding" penalty called on them?

That's outta hand. I understand under normal "pitting" conditions. but, ANY TIME you speed on pit road?

I thikn that might be just a LIL BIT overboard.

maybe I'm read'n it wrong, but, if that's the case, this could be a REALLY strange new rule... and could be tested well at the Daytona 500. Which would REALLY SUCK if it changed the outcome of a race due to a wreck situation like I talked about above.

 

[97champ]

I think more drivers will be black flagged than ever before with this technology. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds.

 

[Alverez]

what that'll lead to is engine regulators like in the open wheel series'.

where ya press a button and the car slows to pit road speed.

And, I don't want to see that, but, as you said 97champ, it's cuz more drivers will be black flagged then ever before.

and that's kinda sad. But, that's the way NASCAR is going.

 

[Donovan]

Sounds to me like NASCAR didn't want to change so they are going to be pissy about it and make the teams pay for insisting on it. Interpretation/application of the rules in NEVER out of the officials hands. If they can clearly see someone sped to avoid an accident, they have the discresion to not assess a penalty.

I think ya'll are right about a lot of black flags being thrown in the first few races. I think the officials will very quickly figure out a way to work with the new system when some of the "favorites" start losing laps because they (the officials) refuse to do their jobs.

I like the change and think it will level the playing field for everyone.

 

[racer8]

I think when they refer to avoiding a wreck, that they are refering to a wreck on pit road during pit stops, and not using pit road to avoid a wreck on the track. I don't remember anyone being penalized for coming down pit road to avoid the big one on the track, and hope it stays that way.
Just my two cents.

 

[DE_Wrangler_2]

That's the way I read it, Racer8. I also don't see NASCAR being pissy about the rule change.......it's like the no racing back the the caution rule. There were lots of other factors that cropped up that some of the teams did not like (such as the "Lucky Dog Pass"). I think Darby is just trying to point out some of the consequences of the new rule. The taking to pit road to avoid a wreck on the track has never been a penalty.......and I'm sure it won't be now either. I like the idea.........in fact, until about a year ago, I thought they did do electronic monitoring of pit road speed!! I'm pretty sure the timing will be done using the transponders on the cars already for lap times and scoring so the violations should be almost instantaneous.......hold the cars in the pits to serve the penalties instead of black flagging them once they get back on the track. I see that as somewhat of a better way to penalize.