NASCAR considering changes to pit road timing

NASCAR officials are contemplating changes to their electronic timing systems in the pits at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after the controversy surrounding last week's penalty to #78-Martin Truex Jr. Truex was penalized for passing leader Kevin Harvick Jr. on the inside while accelerating into his pit stall. The Furniture Row Racing driver said he unfairly was singled out by NASCAR on the call, noting that several other drivers have made the maneuver this season without penalty (a claim that was supported this week by video evidence).

Example of Pit Road timing lines at Pocono

By increasing the number of timing lines, which typically split the pits into six or eight sections, it would decrease the efficacy of the practice of accelerating to enter or exit the pit stall because there would be less wiggle room for drivers. Speeding in the pits is measured by time over distance rather than in real time, so with shorter sections for monitoring, there'd be less opportunity to exceed the prescribed mph.

NASCAR officials said they also are considering other methods that could be implemented in Sunday's New Hampshire 301 and will address it in the prerace drivers meeting. NBC Sports