NASCAR: Teams Now Allowed More Time Under Damaged Vehicle Policy

Wednesday afternoon NASCAR announced and update to the Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP). Starting with Darlington, teams will now have 10 minutes on pit road to repair damage. Previously, the DVP clock was six (6) minutes. This adjustment is in collaboration with race teams throughout the season following learnings on repair time of the Next Gen race car. NASCAR PR

Bottom line – if your engine comes back on the wrecker separate from your car, you ain’t going to have time to fix it.

The updated rule reads as follows:

E. Pit road repairs on a damaged vehicle will have a time limit often(10:00) minutes. The time will start when the vehicle crosses the yellow line at the entrance of pit road and the time will stop when the vehicle crosses the yellow line at the exit of pit road. A 15 second penalty will be added to the time spent on pit road if a vehicle exceeds the pit road speed limit or if the vehicle does not cross the commitment line at the entrance of pit road. If a vehicle pits multiple times as a result of the same damage, the pit time and any associated penalties will be cumulative for the repairs. A damaged vehicle that is repaired within the ten(10:00) minute window may return to the Race. If the vehicle exceeds the ten(10:00) minute limit, the vehicle will not be scored or permitted to return to the Race.

F. A damaged vehicle that requires repairs in the vehicle’s assigned pit box must be able to reach the posted minimum speed requirement. The wrecked or damaged vehicle will be permitted a three consecutive lap run under green flag conditions on the racetrack to reach the posted minimum speed requirement. If the vehicle does not reach the posted minimum speed requirement by the completion of the third lap, the vehicle will not be scored or permitted to continue in the Race. The six ten(6:0010:00) minute clock will no longer be in effect for such damage once minimum speed has been posted. Once a damaged vehicle meets the minimum speed requirement, the team may continue to repair specific damage as outlined in this Section on subsequent pit sequences without the ten(10:00) minute clock in effect.

G. If a vehicle becomes damaged or has contact of any kind while on pit road, but does not make a pit stop after the pit road damage occurs, the ten(10:00) minute clock will not go into effect until the damaged vehicle returns to pit road before reaching the minimum speed requirement. If a vehicle damaged on pit road subsequently stops in its assigned pit box before crossing the yellow line at pit road exit, the ten(10:00) minute clock will be deemed to have started when the vehicle crossed the yellow line at pit entry prior to the point of contact or damage.