NASCAR allows teams to install a lift system to assist with flat tires
Since the next-gen car was adapted in 2022, the playing field in the NASCAR Cup Series is arguably more even than it’s ever been. However, there’s a lingering issue with the car that has frustrated everyone in the sport. Starting this weekend, NASCAR is offering Cup Series teams the option to install a new component that will help in situations where cars get stuck on the track with flat rear tires.
In May, one of those situations occurred for Joey Logano when he spun out on the backstretch at Kansas Speedway during the AdventHealth 400. When Logano came out of his spin, his No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang had a flat right rear tire, and he became stuck on the track as a result.
Joey Logano spins around and through the grass! pic.twitter.com/cmk0pg8gWv
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 6, 2024
In such situations, drivers and teams would lose several laps as tow trucks would spend a lot of time lifting the car into the air and then pulling it back to the pits. With this new part, that would theoretically no longer be the case.
NASCAR issued a media bulletin Thursday saying teams will be able to use an Ohlins rear shock that includes a lift to help cars with flat rear tires return to pit road. According to the bulletin, the new design replaces the stock lower shaft end of the shock with a new lift actuator. Essentially, NASCAR Cup Series teams will have the option to install an air jack to help track safety personnel raise the cars off the track surface enough to allow the driver to get his car back to pit road if his car has a flat rear tire.
Cars equipped with these shock absorbers have a valve in the A-pillar on the driver’s side. When emergency personnel arrive at the scene of the accident, protocol calls for them to lift the stuck car 2 to 3 inches using a bottle of compressed air.
Once the car is back in pit lane, team members can lower it back to its standard height by pulling the valve. NASCAR has included a photo of the valve, which will be installed in the A-pillars of cars that choose to use the Ohlins rear shock, which includes the lift.
The NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway will take place on Sunday, August 18 at 2:30 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast on the USA Network.
