How NASCAR Freezes the Field

How NASCAR Freezes the Field

Timing & Scores Loops (A - H)
Freezing The Field
In an effort to further ensure the competitors' safety, NASCAR announced in September of 2003 that racing back to the caution would no longer be permitted in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. That led NASCAR to institute a new procedure in which the field is "frozen" on the race track once the caution flag is issued.
The cars' positions are determined by the previous timing-and-scoring line they passed on the race track. Example: Cars Nos. 1 through 3 are scored by their running order when the passed timing and scoring line E; cars Nos. 4 and 5 are scored by their positions when they passed timing and scoring line D; cars 6 and 7 are scored by their positions when they they passed timing and scoring line
While the positions of the competitors on the race track will be "frozen," the pit lane, however, will remain active at this time with pit-road speed in effect.
The cars that are pitted from pit-road entrance to the start/finish line - cars 11, 12, 14 and 14 - must reach the start/finish scoring line that extends across pit road before the race leader (No. 1 red car approaching scoring line A) reaches the same line on the race track. Should any of these cars on pit road reach that point first, they will not lose a lap to the leader.
Should the leader reach the scoring line A before cars 11 - 14, they would lose a lap to the leader. Those cars that are pitted from the start/finish line to the pit-road exit - cars 8, 9 and 10 - must reach the pit-road exit scoring line before the leader (No, 1 red car approaching scoring line B) to avoid going a lap down.
Example: car 8 would not go a lap down, while cars 9 and 10 would. Should a driver attempt to speed in pit lane to avoid going down a lap to the leader, that driver will lose a lap in addition to being moved to the tail end of the longest line.
Should the race leader not slow immediately for the caution in an effort to put the pitted cars a lap down, the leader will be penalized by being sent to the tail end of the longest line and all pitted cars will retain their lap positions.
Adapted from information by NASCAR Media

HANS DEVICE

HISTORIC TRIO

10/2010
GANASSI’S HISTORIC TRIO


Few races in motorsports have the esteem of NASCAR’s Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400, and Indy Racing League’s Indianapolis 500. An owner winning all three of these races was unheard of until 2010. In February, McMurray, driving for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, won the Daytona 500. On July 25, 2010, he drove the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Impala to victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Brickyard 400, making him only the third driver to win both events in the same season. Dario Franchitti won the Indianapolis 500 in one of Ganassi’s cars, making Ganassi the first team owner to win all three legendary auto races in the same season.

After winning the Brickyard 400, McMurray celebrated with a smoky, tire-spinning burnout. The celebration was so enthusiastic that McMurray’s right-rear tire exploded, damaging the right-rear quarter panel. McMurray took the lead with 11 laps to go and won the race by 1.4 seconds. The win gave Ganassi owner victories in America’s three most prestigious automobile races: the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400 and the Indianapolis 500—an unprecedented accomplishment

NASCAR QUALIFYING:BACK TO REAR RULE

What are the reasons for a driver or team to have to start the race at the rear of the field:


ENGINE CHANGE - anytime during the race weekend [except the Daytona 500, teams can change once after the Gatorade Duel 150's]


BACKUP CAR - after qualifying, if a team/driver goes to a backup car, they start at the rear of the field; if before qualifying and the backup car and engine are presented for inspection, the driver starts where they qualify.


TRANSMISSION CHANGE - anytime during the race weekend [except the road courses, new in 2009]


DRIVER CHANGE - once the car is qualified, if the driver changes, then the driver/car will start at the end of the field before the green flag