NASCAR Clarifies Rules for Pitting in Another Team's Pit Stall
Following last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR has issued a clarification to teams in all three national series, regarding the rules and potential penalties for pitting in another team’s pit stall.
“If a vehicle receives service in another team’s pit stall to correct a safety issue, the vehicle will receive a flag status penalty – restart tail of the field or a pass-through – for the vehicle pitting outside of the assigned pit box,” the clarification from NASCAR reads.
According to NASCAR, some examples of a safety issue that would allow a driver to pit in another team’s pit stall includes, but is not limited to, tightening loose wheels or lug nuts, removing a fuel can, removing a wedge wreck, or removing the jack from under the vehicle.
However, NASCAR also adds that “if a vehicle receives service in another team’s pit stall for competition adjustments, the vehicle may receive a lap(s) penalty.”
The clarification, which was issued on Thursday, comes after a move by Christopher Bell and Joe Gibbs Racing in the middle portion of Sunday’s Pennzoil 400. During a cycle of pit stops under caution, Bell made his pit stop as usual, but upon leaving his stall, the No. 20 crew discovered one of the wheels was not secured.
In an incredible display of quick thinking, crew chief Adam Stevens hollered over the radio at Christopher Bell to stop in the pit box of the No. 19, his teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, to have their crew tighten the lug nut that was improperly secured.
A heads-up call from the No. 20 team, but @CBellRacing will have to restart at the tail of the longest line. pic.twitter.com/Vl8sZlf06x
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 16, 2025
Bell wasn’t issued any kind of major penalty from NASCAR, but instead was just sent to the tail-end of the longest line for pitting outside the box. This way, the Norman, Oklahoma-native was able to avoid the two-lap penalty and two-week vacation for his crew members, which would have been handed down mid-week had the wheel have come off the No. 20 Interstate Batteries Toyota.
Since last weekend’s event at Las Vegas, both fans and NASCAR analysts have been weighing in on whether something like this should be allowed by NASCAR, with the positives being the enhances safety of the measure (versus a wheel flying off on the racetrack), and the negatives being the fairness of the situation – as some teams may not have teammates willing to tighten their lug nuts.
NASCAR has made the final ruling on the matter, and in the name of safety have deemed the move legal, but if abused to gain an advantage on the racetrack, will be punishable by a much steeper penalty.
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Joseph Srigley covers NASCAR for TobyChristie.com, Racing America, and OnSI, and is the owner of the #SrigleyStats brand. With a higher education in the subjects of business, mathematics, and data analytics, Joseph is able to fully understand the inner workings of the sport through multiple points of perspective.