NASCAR unveils tighter restrictions on damaged vehicles returning to the track

NASCAR unveils tighter restrictions on damaged vehicles returning to the track

The days of drivers circling NASCAR tracks in heavily damaged (and often times, barely repaired) cars is coming to an end with the sanctioning body enacting a new policy on Wednesday prohibiting drivers from returning to competition after they’ve already taken a wrecked vehicle to the garage for repairs.

Under the new policy, teams in the Monster Energy Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Camping World Truck Series can still make repairs if a car or truck is involved in an accident, but those repairs cannot include replacing damaged body panels or any parts and pieces. And all repairs must be made on pit road within a five-minute window, which starts when a driver crosses the yellow commitment line at the beginning of pit road and stops once a driver passes the yellow line at the end of pit road.

NASCAR will permit teams to remove and reattach pieces using tape or fasteners, along with additional support pieces to reinforce original body panels. Once a driver exits pit road they must reach minimum speed before returning to pit road for additional repairs, where the five-minute clock starts anew. A violation of this rule results in a 15-second penalty.

Any failures that occur not related to an accident, such as electrical and mechanical issues, can still be fixed with a trip to the garage, and once addressed a driver can return to the track.

The reason for the new policy is multi-fold. Damaged vehicles are often compromised structurally, and even with repairs a driver is at greater risk of injury were they to be involved in another accident. Additionally, damaged cars have a tendency to spew parts and pieces on the track — especially at restrictor-plate tracks Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway where multi-vehicle accidents are commonplace — resulting in avoidable caution periods.

The rule change will also save teams money. No longer will teams need backup body panels and crash carts to quickly fix damaged cars or trucks.