DARLANDON, S.C. The decision by NASCAR to increase from six to ten minutes the time that teams have to work on their cars following the Cup Damaged Vehicle Policy may have an effect as early as Sunday's race at Darlington Raceway.
Nine points separate fifth from 16th in the playoff candidate standings going into Sunday's Southern 500 (6 p.m. E.T. on USA Network), so any place that can be earned by being able to finish the race rather than being disqualified can be crucial for teams.
Adam Stevens, Christopher Bell's crew chief, told NBC Sports that getting parked with a problem that could be readily fixed was the difference between contending for a victory and not competing for a win.
Daniel Suarez is forced to play at the back of the field due to inspection difficulties
Aric Almirola's crew chief, Drew Blickensderfer, said the extra time would help fix broken toe links.
When you bend a toe link, it's frequently difficult to remove and replace the bolt, Blickensderfer told NBC Sports. Therefore, you spend three minutes removing the old bolts and cannot add a new one.
"I believe they intend to allow you to change a toe link on pit road. The DVP has occasionally disqualified teams for taking too long to change a toe link, but I believe the 10-minute window will allow you to do just that.
Chase Elliott finished 33rd in the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 but was disqualified due to the Damaged Vehicle Policy. According to crew chief Alan Gustafson, the additional four minutes will be useful in a circumstance like the one his team faced during that race.
Gustafson remarked, "I think Charlotte would be the ideal example. We suffered slight damage. One of our tie rods was bent. We failed to extract the bolt in time because it was twisted in the mount. I believe that in certain circumstances, you'll have the chance to at least make those repairs and rejoin the competition.
"I don't know that it's going to make a major impact in really extreme instances, but I do think in some situations" (it will help). The best illustration I can provide is that. Being eliminated from the race with a car that essentially has no damage is perhaps not the best scenario. Their goal was to make that right. Although it won't cover every scenario, it does provide some opportunities.
Before the 2017 season, the Damaged Vehicle Policy was introduced as a safety measure to prevent cars that had sustained serious damage from returning to the circuit. Initially, teams had five minutes to complete repairs. With fewer over-the-wall pit crew personnel before the 2018 season, NASCAR increased the time to six minutes.
According to a recent NASCAR announcement, teams will now have a maximum of 10 minutes to complete repairs on pit road following track collision. The moment the car enters the pit road, the timer begins, and it doesn't stop until the vehicle crosses the pit exit line. The automobile has three laps to reach the required speed before it is disqualified from the competition
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