NASCAR racers notice IndyCar's safety team:

 

NASCAR racers notice IndyCar's safety team: The quick response of the IndyCar Series safety team in saving James Hinchcliffe from suffering catastrophic blood loss in his accident Monday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway demonstrated the critical role the series-hired safety team plays in driver care. NASCAR doesn't have its own safety team, instead relying on the tracks to hire the doctors and emergency medical technicians who treat the drivers. While NASCAR requires an emergency response plan, holds an annual safety worker summit as well as weekly meetings at the tracks hosting each event and can dictate
staffing requirements to the tracks, NASCAR's traveling medical staff consists primarily of nurses who keep driver files and know their medical histories. Drivers talked with NASCAR after Kyle Busch's accident earlier this year about the week-to-week staffing levels and training. Busch suffered a broken right leg and broken left foot in an accident Feb. 21 at Daytona International Speedway in one of the most crushing wrecks in recent years.
"NASCAR is adamant that having true ER folks that every single day fight in the ER room to save people's lives are the best people to have in place here on a weekend for us," six-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson said Thursday. "In my heart, I feel like there is maybe a hybrid version where, yes, we have those EMTs here, but we also have people that are very sharp and NASCAR-specific, car-specific, know the drivers, know our cockpits. I know that NASCAR briefs them and works with them on all that." With the tracks primarily owned by two companies, it is not unusual for doctors and first responders to work at multiple tracks.
"Once [NASCAR] explained the process and how the doctors and things were chosen was definitely kind of eye-opening as to how much money and time were spent to make sure they have the right people at every race track -- and really the longevity of the staff," Kevin Harvick said.(full story at ESPN)(5-22-2015)

Superspeedway Qualifying Format Updated

Superspeedway Qualifying Format Updated for Talladega, Daytona

New Structure to Feature Two Rounds to Determine Pole Winner

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 30, 2015) – NASCAR today unveiled modifications to the qualifying format at superspeedways across all three national series. The updated format will take effect at Talladega Superspeedway for the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next month.

Qualifying for May’s Talladega Superspeedway races, as well as the July events at Daytona International Speedway, will consist of the following:

·         Two rounds of qualifying, with the top-12 posted lap speeds advancing to the second round

·         Race vehicles taking one, timed lap in each round of qualifying

·         Each race vehicle will be released in a predetermined timed interval as determined by NASCAR, with the sanctioning body reserving the right to have more than one vehicle engaging in qualifying runs at the same time

·         Qualifying order for the first round will be determined by a random draw; final round qualifying order is determined by slowest to fastest speeds from the first round

·         A 10-minute break will occur between the first qualifying round and the final round

·         Upon completion of the first qualifying round, the field will be set with positions 13 and beyond determined from first round qualifying speed

·         The 12 fastest vehicles from the first round will have their speeds reset for the final round with starting positions 1-12 determined by the fastest laps in the final round

·         NASCAR will impound race vehicles following each qualifying lap; vehicles advancing to the final round will be allowed to adjust tape and utilize a cool-down unit during the 10-minute break only

Qualifying procedures for the 2016 Daytona 500 will be announced at a later date.

Daytona to make safety improvements

Daytona to make safety improvements before July races: Following the completion of the February race events, Daytona International Speedway, working closely with NASCAR and International Speedway Corporation (ISC), performed an extensive review of the facility and developed a significant plan for additional safety initiatives. Prior to the July NASCAR weekend, the following safety initiatives will be completed:
" Additional 20,000 square feet of asphalt in Turn 1
" Realignment of a portion of the inside retaining wall from infield road course exit to Turn 1
" Installation of SAFER barrier (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) on realigned retaining wall and existing retaining wall in Turn 1
" Installation of SAFER barrier on retaining wall at pit road exit
" Installation of SAFER barrier between the exit of Turn 4 to pit road entry
"In addition, based on material availability and timing, we will install SAFER barrier on the outside backstretch wall and will complete as much as possible prior to the July NASCAR weekend. Following the July races, we will complete any remaining installation of SAFER barrier on the outside backstretch wall, and continue to install SAFER barrier on the remaining areas of the property. We will provide additional updates regarding our safety initiatives as circumstances warrant. The safety of the competitors and our fans is our top priority." DIS president Joie Chitwood III.(DIS)(3-11-2015)

NASCAR tweak its qualifying program

3/16/15
NASCAR continues to tweak its qualifying program, this time turning things around 180 degrees -- literally.
Starting next week at Auto Club Speedway, cars will be reversed along pit road, so they don't have to back out to pull onto pit road at the start of qualifying. NASCAR officials confirmed the change Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway, saying it came at the request of the drivers.
By lining the cars up with their backs to the wall and not their noses, it should reduce the possibility of pit road collisions and contact, as well as make it easier for drivers to pull out at the beginning of each qualifying session.

New rules limits crew members on pit road at end of race

New rules limits crew members on pit road at end of race: A new NASCAR postrace procedure for Sprint Cup teams could limit the possibility of a big postrace brawl breaking out, as one did at Texas Motor Speedway last November. NASCAR officials confirmed Saturday they will stop all cars on pit road following a race because NASCAR must collect the tapered spacer used to limit air flow through the engine. That piece is issued to teams on a weekly basis so that teams cannot alter it. With just a couple of crew members needed to remove the spacer, NASCAR has issued an edict that only two crew members per car will be allowed at each Cup car immediately after the race. That will keep pit road from getting too cluttered, officials say. With only two crew members at each car after a Cup race, that will limit the number of crew members from each team in a contained area. In the past, several crew members would surround the top-5 cars on pit road and the crews would surround the rest when they parked at their haulers postrace.(ESPN)(3-1-2015)

NASCAR modifies Daytona qualifying format for XFINITY, Trucks

2/18/2115

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Why have a five-minute qualifying session if no one is going to use the full five minutes?

That was one of the rationales NASCAR considered in streamlining the time trial process for the NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series for events to be held at Daytona International Speedway this weekend.

The first round of qualifying for Friday’s Nextera Energy Resources 250 NCWTS race (7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1) and Saturday’s Alert Today Florida 300 XFINITY Series race (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1) will feature cars divided into four groups, in numbers as equal as possible based on a random draw.

Smaller groups will ease pit road congestion, which was an issue during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying. The cars will be staged with their left-side tires just outside an assigned pit box, giving each driver an unimpeded exit from pit road.

And once a car begins to roll, it must continue its progress toward the end of pit road. No more starting and stopping. No more backing up.

Each qualifying session will be reduced to 2.5 minutes as opposed to the five minutes used in the Cup series on Sunday. The 24 fastest cars from the four sessions in the first round combined will advance to the second round, which will feature two 2.5-minute sessions with cars divided into even and odd-numbered groups based on speeds in the first round.

The fastest 12 cars advance to the final 2.5-minute round, which will determine the pole winner.

Though the new format applies only to the NCWTS and NXS races at Daytona, NASCAR considers this a trial run for possible modifications to the system for other superspeedway races, and perhaps extending to Sprint Cup.

NASCAR Rule Book addressing Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

NASCAR Rule Book addressing Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

With the first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup berth all but locked up following the Daytona 500 (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX), NASCAR issued a bulletin on Wednesday that outlined updates for Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup eligibility.
Updates are highlighted.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

 
 
 

17.6.2.1 ELIGIBILITY

.a  
Drivers and car owners must enter all Championship Events and attempt to Qualify for all Championship Events through the completion of the final Championship Event of the season (EIRI). .a  
Unless otherwise authorized by NASCAR, driver(s) and car owner(s) must start all Championship Events of the current season to be eligible for The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. If a starting position was not earned, then the driver(s) and car owners(s) must have attempted to Qualify for the Race.
.b  
Race finishes must be unencumbered by violation(s) of the NASCAR Rules or other action(s) detrimental to stock car auto racing or NASCAR as determined in the sole discretion of NASCAR.

NASCAR clarifies some rules:

NASCAR clarifies some rules: NASCAR, which announced last month that teams would not be allowed to flare the side skirts, released the penalty for that violation and other unapproved adjustments teams make during a race. Teams who make unapproved adjustments under caution will have to come back in under caution, fix the car, restart at the rear of the field and then do a pass-through on pit road at pit-road speed under green. Teams who make unapproved adjustments under green will have to come in under green and fix the car to NASCAR's satisfaction. If NASCAR identifies a crew member who makes the illegal adjustment, it will issue that person a warning on the first offense and increase the sanctions for additional offenses. The procedure was released Thursday morning in a wide-ranging bulletin issued to teams. NASCAR also put into writing what happens if two drivers tie at the finish of a race, a rarity considering that the combination of NASCAR's timing system and its cameras at the finish line typically allow for NASCAR to determine finishing order. But if NASCAR can't break a tie, the driver who has led the most laps will be awarded the higher finish. If no driver has led a lap, then it would be the driver who has spent the most laps in second. Then if still tied, whoever has run the most laps in third, then fourth, etc.
In another rule clarification, NASCAR put into writing a policy that it could take away a driver's qualifying time if it determines that the driver impacted the qualifying lap of another driver -- such as coming off pit road and cutting in front of a driver already on the track during the group qualifying session.(ESPN)(2-13-2015)