Monday Morning Pit Box: NASCAR Takes Strategy Out of Teams’ Hands Late at New Hampshire

In an unprecedented turn of events, the NASCAR Cup Series had its first-ever finish on wet-weather tires in the USA Today 301 at a damp New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

While the circumstances were unique, the race winner was far from it. Christopher Bell collected the checkered flag at The Magic Mile, his third Cup Series win of 2024 and Bell’s seventh win in 11 NASCAR national series starts at New Hampshire.

The switch to wet-weather tires also led to a dramatic shift in the role pit road played in the race’s outcome. Here is how it all unfolded in the Granite State.

Rain Washes Away Late Strategy Calls

Once it became clear that there was a window to restart the race, NASCAR mandated that all teams affix wet-weather tires to their cars.

With no prior precedent for a finish under damp conditions on an oval, NASCAR took steps to even the playing field and look out for the safety of drivers and pit crews. First, NASCAR officials dictated when drivers could come down pit road for tires, mandating that teams could only put on wet-weather tires.

Tire changing to WETS is required on this caution. Non-competitive pitstops.#NASCAR #USAToday301

— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) June 23, 2024

Furthermore, NASCAR did not have the chance to dry pit road to the same extent it dried the racetrack. Therefore, all trips to pit road after the rain delay became non-competitive stops. This meant that crews could slow down and take more time to service the cars with the knowledge that they would not lose any track position.

Consequently, race officials took most of the decision-making away from the crew chiefs down the stretch, leaving it to the drivers to duke it out on the damp racetrack.

Did NASCAR make the right call to control when and how teams could pit for tires? I believe so, at least this time. The drivers and teams entered uncharted waters after the rain delay, having never raced on an oval under wet conditions for that long. With so many new variables, NASCAR did well to simplify the situation a bit.

With that being said, the next time the Cup Series races in the wet on an oval, I would like to see NASCAR let the teams decide when to pit for tires as well as whether or not to stick with wet tires or go back to slicks.

Reddick Reaps Benefits of Staying Out

Prior to the shakeup from Mother Nature, multiple drivers moved up the scoring pylon by staying out under caution or stretching it out under green and then catching a caution.

No driver gained more from not pitting at New Hampshire than Tyler Reddick. While other Toyota drivers dominated out front, Reddick was not quite as strong in his No. 45 23XI Racing Camry. Reddick eked out a couple of stage points with a ninth-place finish in stage one, but he fell back to 14th by the end of stage two on lap 185.

Reddick’s race changed for the better when he stayed on the racetrack during the post-stage two caution, inheriting the lead in the process. Reddick then held onto the top spot through a series of cautions and restarts before rain arrived to bring out the red flag with 219 laps complete.

For a while, it looked as though the call by No. 45 crew chief Billy Scott might lead to Reddick’s second win of 2024. Though the race ultimately restarted, Reddick adapted well to the wet-weather tires and damp racetrack to finish sixth, arguably a better finish than he would have gotten had he not been out front when the race resumed.

Look Ahead to Next Week

The NASCAR Cup Series will move on to the Music City for the running of the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway next Sunday, June 30. Race coverage will start at 3:30 p.m. on NBC.

At a length of 1.33 miles, the concrete oval at Nashville is a little too large for wet-weather tires, so NASCAR and the race teams will be rooting for good weather in the Volunteer State.