Days After Kevin Harvick’s Rant, NASCAR Forced to Come Out With Final Solution to Christopher Bell’s Antics

“It’s not fair,” said 2014 Cup Series Champion Kevin Harvick, after the events that transpired at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In a race that was marred with pit road penalties and tires falling off, Christopher Bell was yet again the center of attention, as he was aiming to clinch his fourth race win in a row. However, this time, it wasn’t for his prowess around the track, but his quick thinking, which made Harvick question NASCAR.

After starting from the rear after qualifying 13th because of a throttle body replacement, Bell had an uphill task to keep his winning streak alive. However, as the race progressed, Bell found himself up at P2 by Lap 108, but it was then that a pit stop changed his fortunes. As Bell was leaving his pit stall, he realized his front left tire was loose! Within a blink of an eye, Bell decided to pit at teammate Chase Briscoe’s stall to tighten his lug nut. Harvick felt this displayed a glaring advantage that not all teams can afford. Now, before the series moves to Homestead-Miami Speedway, NASCAR has officially clarified its stance on Bell’s pit road antics.

NASCAR comes clean 

Despite Bell’s pit stop being the headline, it all started with Chase Briscoe. The JGR #19 saw his tire fall off on the race track, which led to a 2-lap penalty and suspension for his jackman and tire changer. Later in the race, when Bell was faced with the prospect of running on a loose tire, he realized a grid penalty is much more favorable than going two laps down and he was promptly penalized after his actions in Briscoe’s pit lane. However, Harvick brought up an important point about how not all teams have the luxury that JGR does,

“It’s better than the wheel falling off. But what about the guy who only has one car?.. I don’t think it is. Now every team is going to do it,” said Harvick. Well, Harvick can breathe a sigh of relief now, as NASCAR clarified the specific circumstances under which a team can use a different pit box, and it’s not just for teammates. NASCAR journalist Jordan Bianchi posted on X, writing, “NASCAR issues rules clarification that drivers are only allowed to pit in their specific pit stall unless it’s a safety issue.”

NASCAR clarified the rule for pitting in boxes other than your own with this statement, that they sent to all three national series, “If a vehicle receives service in another team’s pit stall to correct a safety issue, the vehicle will receive a flag status penalty (restart tail of the field or pass- through) for the vehicle pitting outside of the assigned pit box.” This makes a lot of sense, as safety is a priority in NASCAR, and nothing should compromise that, not even competition.

As for Harvick, he can feel relieved that not all teams would be trying to pit in teammates’ stalls for no reason, as that would see a more severe penalty. The statement from NASCAR also read, “If a vehicle received service in another team’s pit stall for competition adjustments, the vehicle may receive a lap(s) penalty.” Chase Briscoe, however, felt hard done by his caution, as he did not get the option to fix his loose tire and went two laps down. “Obviously, I wish we could’ve done that with our tire, but it was crazy, I didn’t even know you could do that,” said Briscoe in a post-race interview when asked about his teammate pitting in his pit box. 

NASCAR further clarified the safety issues as any of the following: “Tighten loose wheel nuts or lug nuts or Remove a fuel can or Remove a wedge wrench or Remove the jack from under the vehicle.” This is not a knee-jerk reaction. These rule changes came after a series of incidents that questioned NASCAR’s inconsistent officiating and enforcement of rules. NASCAR, with these new rules, put safety first and racing second, the way it should be. And it is not the first time NASCAR has prioritized safety over the thrill of racing.

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Safety over thrills

We all remember Ross Chastain’s wall ride in Martinsville to earn him a spot in the Championship 4. While thrilling and a creative genius move, it was unsafe and was later banned by NASCAR. The wall ride saw Chastain take his car into fifth gear at Martinsville, a short track where no driver ever touches fifth. He then proceeded to ram his car against the retaining wall and ride it all the way to the checkered flag. This move, if done improperly, could have led to serious consequences for Chastain and the surrounding drivers, so it was rightfully banned. 

“Basically, if there’s an act that we feel that compromises the safety of our competitors, officials, spectators…we’re going to take that seriously. And we will penalize for that act going forward. Basically, what it would be is a lap or time penalty at the end of the race, so that move at Martinsville would be a penalty,” said Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition on Chastain’s dangerous move.

Since that dark day in Daytona 2001, where Dale Earnhardt tragically lost his life during a last-lap crash, NASCAR has prioritized safety to make sure a day like that doesn’t happen again. It started with SAFER barriers on all tracks to reduce whiplash when drivers hit them head first like Earnhardt did when he suffered a basilar skull fracture. Next was the HANS (Head And Neck Support) device necessary for all drivers going forward.

No deaths on track have occurred since in NASCAR, and the governing body plays a huge role in enforcing these rules to ensure safety. With this new pit stop rule, NACSAR is embracing its goal to be a safer sport than ever before. A loose tire on the track is a huge red flag, as a Next-Gen car hitting a tire at 190 miles an hour would damage the car while sending the tire in the air at full speed, potentially fatally injuring anyone on impact.

So, while Kevin Harvick can thank NASCAR for their clarity, Bell can feel relieved to get away with a sneaky move. As we head to Homestead-Miami, Bell will look to regain his winning touch, and this time hopefully with his tires firmly sealed to his #20 Toyota.