NASCAR issues rule clarification after Christopher Bell’s controversial Las Vegas pitstop

Christopher Bell’s controversial ‘double pitꩵstop’ in Vegas prompts NASCAR t🎐o clarify its rules

Christopher Bell
Christopher Bell
© NASCAR Media

NASCAR has issued a clarifi꧟cation to its rulebook after Christoper Bell stopped in his teammate’s pit box during last weekend's Cup Series race at Las Vegas to tighten a wheel.

On lap 108 of 267, Bell headed to the pitlane at Las Vegas Speedway for a full service, but his crew chief Adam Stevens noticed that the front-left wheel on the #ꦓ20 Toyota Camry was still loose.

Stevens immediately instructed Bell to peel into Chase Briscoe’s pit box, which was located further down the pit🐻lane.

Briscoe’s pit crew safely 🐼secured the wheel and sent Bell back out on track, although NASCAR penalised him by sending him to the back of the field.

Now, the ser༒ies has clarified how rules will apply in case there is a repeat of this situation.

If a car is serviced in another pit stall purely for safety reasons - as was the case with⛎ Bell - the driver in question will receive a flag status penalty. This means they will either have to restart at the tail of the field or receive a pass-through.

To avoid confusion, NASCAR explained that safety reasons can include tightening loose wheel nuts or lug nu▨ts and removing a fuel can, wedge wrench or jack from under a vehicle.

However, the se🍰ries added that if a car completes a pitstop in another pit box for competition adjustment, the driver of that vehicle will lose one or more laps.

Several pit crews suspended after Vegas

NASCAR also announceꦦd that it has suspended two memb𒐪ers from the pit crew of both the #8 Richard Childress Racing and #19 Joe Gibbs Racing team.

It f💯ollows both Kyle Busch and Briscoe rolling loose wheels on the track at Las Vegas.

At Richard Childress Racing, Dylan Moseꦺr (jack) and Shiloh Windsor (rear-tyre) have been suspended from the next two races at Miami and Martinsville, while Caleb Dirks (jack) and Daniel Smith (rear-tyre) will be sidelined from JGR for the same two events.

Furthe🤪r, Josiah Wright, who was listed as the rear tyre-changer for RFK Racing’s #6 Ford team, has been suspended indefinitely for vio𒉰lating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy.

Coleman Dollarhide was called in by RFK as a replacement for Wright i﷽n Vegas.

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