4 Burning Questions: Does NASCAR Need Another Restart Rule?

Does NASCAR need another restart rule?

The turning point of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ race at Pocono Raceway on Friday (June 20) evening happened when Corey Heim felt a tire going down just before the restart. He pulled out of line, dropping to the back. That opened a gap on the front row for Carson Hocevar to move up and fill.

Trouble for @CoreyHeim_ before the restart. pic.twitter.com/METMKgzYks

— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) June 20, 2025

The lights were already out on the pace car and drivers had made their lane choices, so the entire top row got to move up a free space. While Layne Riggs technically became the leader once Heim dropped back, he never seemed to take ownership of that role and kept rolling slowly, so Hocevar took off to the lead.

Hocevar was then penalized for a restart violation, handing the lead – and the win – back to Riggs.

"Look at him and see how f***ing slow he goes! He rolls in front of me! What a joke." – Hocevar furious about the penalty#NASCAR #MillerTech200

— Dalton Hopkins (@PitLaneCPT) June 20, 2025

This isn’t the first time a last-second change at the front caused some quick confusion for drivers at the front. At Indianapolis last summer, Brad Keselowski ran out of gas coming to the green flag. 

Kyle Larson rolled forward into that position on the front row, and he subsequently rolled quicker into the restart and took the lead. Meanwhile, Ryan Blaney was livid, feeling like he never had the chance to control the restart.

This begs the question, is it time for NASCAR to consider another restart rule change?

Listen, the last thing I want is for cautions to take longer. However, this happens enough – between drivers having issues and teams being penalized – that it’s definitely something to consider.

When the field goes double-file, there are times when drivers or crews feel or see something wrong with the car and they have to pull out of line. Sometimes, teams are informed of a penalty, and they drop to the back after the choose takes place. Penalties can also happen when a driver hits the choose box and has to forfeit his position.

In all of these scenarios, it gives one line the benefit of moving up and gaining a free position. However, that is unfair to the drivers behind who might have chosen differently had the option been given to them.

Let’s also look back at the front of the field. While it’s much more rare for the leader to pull off, it instantly adds another element of confusion, especially with the drivers coming around to see the green flag. 

Like I said, I don’t want to advocate for more caution laps, and trying to reorganize and have the field re-choose would likely take more than one lap to resolve. 

However, there could be a better, simpler solution, such as having the field simply leave that space open, or even potentially adding an extra lap just to reestablish the running order.

How important is NASCAR’s fastest lap rule?

Speaking of new rules, something new to NASCAR this year is the Xfinity Fastest Lap rule, giving a point to the driver who lays down the quickest time during the race.

During the final green flag run at Mexico City, the broadcast spent some time talking about Larson, running multiple laps down in 36^th. While Larson was so many laps behind that he wouldn’t be able to gain any other positions, he and Cliff Daniels worked together to pit, get clean air, and go after turning the fastest lap possible.

On the broadcast, Steve Letarte voiced a little displeasure that a car so far out of contention could use a strategy like that to steal the fastest lap from the leaders.

Is the fastest lap important enough to require extra guidelines for who might be eligible? 

Obviously, the fastest lap is important enough that a team like the No. 5 group would fix their car just to go after that extra point. After all, Larson is still in the mix for the regular-season championship, and we know how important a single point can be in crunch time.

We’ve also seen drivers chase fastest laps at superspeedways by dropping back behind the pack and trying to get a massive draft with some bonus speed.

At the same time, there are very few drivers and teams in the field that can spend time chasing fastest laps like Larson did. At most tracks, pitting to go after a fastest lap simply would not be worth it. The team might gain one point, but they will lose much more.

On the other hand, there are very few cars that are good enough to where they could come back on the track, even after repairing damage, and lay down the quickest lap of the race. Additionally, that strategy really only works on road courses.

Sure, cars can repair damage and lay down some quick lap times when they return to the race, but on an oval, the speed advantage is going to go to the drivers with the clean air and the most pristine cars, making it extremely difficult for drivers at the back of the pack, multiple laps off the pace, to make good time.

Letarte’s slight frustration was understandable, because in other sports, quick laps are only rewarded for the drivers who go fast and finish well. However, it was great to see Larson and his team have something to go after, even after his race was virtually over.

The fastest lap rule is important, but not important enough that it needs an overhaul. The strategy that Larson employed is a unique one, but unlikely to happen often.

Then again, this is the second time that Larson has used it, as the No. 5 finished 32nd at Circuit of the Americas with the fastest lap there as well.

How punishing is a crew chief suspension?

It was a fairly eventful news week, but possibly the most surprising drop happened when JR Motorsports announced Dale Earnhardt Jr. would be filling in as crew chief for Connor Zilisch.

This came after Zilisch’s normal crew chief Marty Lindley was suspended for one race after the team had two missing lug nuts after the checkered flag dropped at Nashville.

The storyline turned storybook when Zilisch wheeled that No. 88 to victory lane, but it also begs the question, just how much does a crew chief suspension punish the team?

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not advocating for a harsher punishment to the crew chief or the team for violations that are pinned on the crew chief. I’m also not taking a shot at any of the fill-in crew chiefs that step up when these suspensions arise.

However, in modern racing, the crew chief does a lot of work at the shop to prep the car before the race begins. A suspension takes them away from the race track, but they still get to work their magic on the race car, and they can do their best to plan ahead for what they believe the weekend will hold.

In modern racing, teams have such little room for adjustment anyways. Practice is nowhere near long enough to allow crew chiefs to make any major adjustments. Really, the best cars on race day have to be in the ballpark of the best as soon as they unload for practice.

Even without a crew chief at the track to work on the car in practice or call the shots in the race, there is so much technology that crew chiefs can still do a lot through communication from back at the shop.

Kyle Busch caught some heat for saying crew chief Dale Jr. was “all for publicity… He’s just going to be a warm body on the pit box.”

Busch later clarified his comments, saying they were not meant as an insult. “I’m referencing how silly the suspensions for [crew chiefs] are these days w[ith] all the technology they have to stay in contact w[ith] their teams. I’d say the same thing if [Jeff Gordon] went on an HMS box.”

This has nothing to do w any animosity towards Dale jr. I’m referencing how silly the suspensions for cc are these days w all the technology they have to stay in contact w their teams. I’d say the same thing if JG went on a HMS box as a cc. https://t.co/tEpT2xACXD

— Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch) June 21, 2025

To credit Earnhardt, he does know a lot about race cars and how they work. In one of his radio transmissions to Zilisch, though, he said, “we’re getting tons of good support here. Lots of people with lots of great ideas.”

Again, with all the talk of rules and changes in this week’s version of 4 Burning Questions, I’m not advocating for harsher penalties or anything like that here. I’m just saying, a crew chief suspension doesn’t mean an automatic vacation.

It certainly doesn’t hold a team down too much from running where they normally will during the race, either.

Will the Truck Series field run out of Playoff spots?

It’s hard to believe Riggs just won his first race of the season. After all, he’s been probably the biggest thorn in the side of Heim in the last handful of race. 

Now that Riggs has a win, though, he’s officially locked in to the Truck Series playoffs, leaving just three spots left with four races to go. 

That almost seems hard to believe, given that three Cup drivers and Heim have won seven of the 14 races so far this season. The variety of winners in the remaining races, however, have just three spots left, and it’s very possible that more than three drivers on the outside looking in could win in the next four races.

Of the next four races, two of them will take place at short tracks: at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and Richmond Raceway. The short-track king in the Truck Series, Ty Majeski, is yet to win this season, currently battling his teammate for the last spot in.

Majeski won both of those races last season and he has two straight victories in Indianapolis, and Grant Enfinger – also winless this year – has the other win at IRP.

This four-race stretch starts with a brand-new road course – a bit of a wild card – when the trucks go to Lime Rock Park for the first time ever. It’s also their first road race of the season, and while you expect the usuals to contend for the win, there are some younger faces who could have something to show at the road courses.

Speaking of road racing, the Truck Series will go to Warkins Glen for the first time since 2021, throwing another opportunity for someone to step into victory lane for the first time this season including Ben Rhodes, who has a road course win to his resume.

For anyone else to win, it would require a new visitor to victory lane. That’s not to say it won’t happen, though. 

Kaden Honeycutt and Bayley Currey have shown flashes at times, especially on the short tracks. One or both of them could steal a win. Jake Garcia has also been flirting with the front of the field as this season has gone on.

The only other big threats for these last three playoff positions are the TRICON Garage duo of Tanner Gray and Gio Ruggiero. They haven’t exactly shown the ability to contend for wins at the end, but the two drivers have shown flashes of speed this season.

It will be very interesting to see how things turn out if three new winners find victory lane in the next three weeks with Richmond as the last race before the playoffs start.

Then again, maybe Heim’s bad luck will go away and he’ll reel off four straight wins going into the playoffs.