NASCAR News: Cup Series approves LED pit boxes

On Tuesday afternoon, NASCAR announced that Cup Series teams will be allowed to have lighted, LED signage attached to their pit boxes.

As of now, the guidelines are not set in stone, but the measurement is expected to be 42 inches tall with the width being the length of the pit box. The sport will also mandate dimmer switches and no movement during green-flag competition.

This rule is only allowed in the Cup Series, as the expenses may not be affordable for smaller teams in lower levels. For the NASCAR teams, this is a good change as it allows them to sell more space for sponsorship placement. This creative rule should allow a new source of income for the organizations and give sponsors a new area to pursue in 2024.

NASCAR Cup Series managing director Brad Moran personally likes its potential as well even if he knows working through some trial and error will be forthcoming when it debuts for the Daytona qualifying races.

“They will need to have dimmer switches,” Moran said during the annual media briefing at the NASCAR R&D facility in Concord, North Carolina. “We do have the ability within our rules to tell them turn it off, turn it down, whatever we need to do. We’ll find a happy medium as we go.

“Teams are pretty excited about it. There’s no technology like where they hit their box and it lights the whole thing up. There’s none of that. They’re allowed to have a lit board to broadcast different sponsors throughout the event.

“The only thing we’re starting with is during green flag runs, do not change them and that could even change as we go and learn what negative effects do come from it. The positives already outshines the negatives. I like it. I like the lights. It adds to our show and another element to improve the show.”

“Cup only for obvious reasons because it’s probably a pretty substantial expense for the teams and the industry,” Moran said. “It’s also an opportunity for them to increase their sponsorship, something to sell to sponsors. For the highest level, we feel it’s a good opportunity for the teams to create some new income with it and give more back to their sponsors.”