Cliff Daniels, the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief, criticized NASCAR’s pit guns and its penalties surrounding unsecured wheels and called the safety mechanisms meant to keep the wheels’ single lug nuts in place “inadequate.”
While a handful of NASCAR Cup Series crew chiefs have been suspended this season for unsecured wheels, the crew chief for Kyle Larson hasn’t been among them.
But Daniels, crew chief on Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevrolet, said the “razor thin line” between a team “having a fast pitstop and having a potential issue is smaller than it has ever been.”
Daniels made his comments Wednesday on SiriusXM NASCAR’s Radio’s “SiriusXM Speedway.”
“Believe it or not, there is more complexity and nuance in the single lug pitstop than there was in the five lug nut pit stop,” Daniels said. “I know this is really hard to believe, but a lot of it does boil down to limitations that we have with the current pit gun. A few things that I’m going to say are inadequate with the safety mechanisms that are supposed to keep the wheel nut from falling off that I don’t believe you can blame the teams and the tire changers and pit performers every single time for what we’ve seen this year.
“I would say NASCAR needs to step up and NASCAR needs to improve the pit guns. NASCAR needs to improve the stuff that we’re using.”
Daniels, who has 11 wins in 94 Cup starts, then laid into NASCAR’s penalty system.
It’s seen multiple crew chiefs and pit crew members suspended for four points races over unsecured wheels. Bootie Barker and two pit crew members received the penalty after a wheel came of Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota during the Cup race at Circuit of the Americas.
Daniels called the penalties “mind blowing.”
“What’s already very, very difficult to do for a pitstop, and we have really handpicked guys that had been brought up through our system,” Daniels said. “Obviously, all the teams (have) their own in house pit crew that are so trained and we’re trying to make them experts in their area. If something failed or something doesn’t go according to plan, and a wheel, heaven forbid, comes off, which we all agree is a massive safety issue, we’re then going to make it an even bigger safety issue the next time that team comes to the track because we’re going to suspend two those guys for four weeks that are the best experts that that team has at the time to put on their cart.
“So we’re gonna go ahead and put them on the sidelines for four weeks. And we’re gonna bring in two guys that are less experienced to go to the car and do the same thing. So that in itself just doesn’t make sense.
“So hopefully some momentum will get generated between the teams and between NASCAR to really take a deep dive look at it and fix it because I’ve seen teams that have had these issues and crew chiefs and pit crew guys that get suspended. It’s heartbreaking and it’s so frustrating because we know what we’re dealing with, with the limitations of the parts and the pieces and just the nonsensical penalties that get handed out just don’t make any sense. So in my opinion, it needs to get fixed sooner (rather) than later.”
More: Corey LaJoie Wheel Penalties Need to Be Revisited
ICYMI: While lamenting ensuing penalties, crew chief @DanielsCliff also expresses concern over single lug nut pit stops, equipment limitations, and currently mandated procedures, which he fears may create safety issues within #NASCAR #SXMSpeedway pic.twitter.com/46qUh2oz1l
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) April 6, 2022