What do NASCAR fans love more than the roar of V8 engines and the smell of burnt rubber? It’s when drivers are left unshackled to get every last drop of performance from their cars. This is why NASCAR abolished the speed limit on the pit road for All-Star qualifying in 2013. What did that mean? It meant that time trials at Charlotte Motor Speedway were a spectacle to behold, as fans saw cars enter the pit road at lightning-fast speed, and faced no penalty risk.

Why did NASCAR do this? Because they can, and that’s exactly what fans wanted. This is why when footage of the 2013 All-Star qualifying resurfaced on social media, many NASCAR fans expressed their views about the most exciting change for the exhibition event in a long time.

Everything you need to know about the 2013 All-Star qualifying

For many fans, the absence of a pit road limit gives them a throwback feel. NASCAR, hoping to recapture some of that magic from the yesteryears, had chosen to abolish pit road speed limits for the All-Star qualifying event in 2013. According to the format, qualifying for the All-Star race meant drivers had to complete three laps around Charlotte Motor Speedway and have a mandatory four-time pit stop. The driver with the lowest total time at the end of the event will start on the pole for the race.

This proved a new challenge for NASCAR drivers, even in 2013, as they were accustomed to driving at 45 mph on the pit road. Pit-road speed limits were introduced in 1991 after Bill Elliott’s tire changer met an unfortunate end when Ricky Rudd spun at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990. As a safety precaution, pit crew members were not allowed to come over the wall until the car had come to a complete standstill. The NASCAR president at that time, Mike Helton, had said that the format was only being used during qualifying “because we can control the environment, and it’ll be very clean when this happens.”

Another change in rules that were announced for the All-Star race was that the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote from the Showdown would advance to the main event without being on the lead lap, as long as the car was in ‘raceable’ condition. However, the final decision regarding the car’s condition would be determined by Sprint Cup Series director John Darby. The rule change prompted many NASCAR fans to joke about it being the “Danica Patrick Rule,” saying that the driver, who was racing for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2013 would be the sole beneficiary.

Ultimately, Carl Edwards, who was driving the No. 99 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing finished first in the All-Star qualifying, with a time of 1:11.297. He was followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, and Kyle Busch, making up the top five. The race was won by Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson, who started the race in 18th place, but went on to secure a victory in the 2013 All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. While many of the younger fans may not remember the race, watching the footage of NASCAR’s qualifying format from the All-Star race brought about some interesting reactions.

NASCAR fans express their fascination at rare qualifying format

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Watching cars drift on track, and enter the pit road at 100 mph brought about an adrenaline rush for many NASCAR fans. Especially for some of the younger fans, who haven’t seen drivers being given the liberty to speed in the pit road, the change in qualifying format was a refreshing change. Enjoying the footage of the 2013 All-Star qualifying, a fan on Instagram wrote, “Best qualifying format ever.” Echoing that sentiment, the video motivated a fan to catch up with stock car racing action again. The fan said, “Coolest video I’ve seen in a while, gotta start watching NASCAR again.”

One of the older fans urged NASCAR to reintroduce no speed limits on the pit road. Remembering the time when Ricky Rudd’s car spun 180 degrees on the pit road in Atlanta, slamming into Bill Elliott’s car which resulted in his tire changer losing his life, one fan wrote, “Bring it back! I’m also old enough to remember when that was race pace normal until people started getting crushed by other cars.”

With each racer having a mandatory four-tire pit stop, drivers didn’t hesitate to drift on the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Having enjoyed watching drivers burn some rubber, one fan wrote, “NASCAR DRIFT SERIES IS A MUST.” Expressing a similar sentiment, an Instagram user urged NASCAR to reintroduce that format, so that they are interested in watching the sport again. Commenting under the video, the fan wrote, “They need to bring back this format. I’d be happy to watch again.”

Do you think NASCAR needs to reintroduce no speed limits for the pit road? Let us know in the comments!