In an effort to help save the teams money for the 2009 season and beyond, we are hearing that NASCAR may be ready to announce a couple of rule changes for the Truck Series. First, teams will be limited on the number of hard cards (annual credentials) they can purchase for the season. This will help control the number of people teams are bringing to the track each weekend. The other rule change rumor that is going around, is that NASCAR will limit the number of guys that can go over the wall during a pit stop. NASCAR will go from allowing seven men over the wall, to six. If this happens, expect teams to take away one of the tire carriers. Again, this would in theory help teams save money, as they would need one less crew member for pit stops.(TheNASCARInsiders.com)(12-15-2008)
UPDATE: Now, we are hearing from a few different folks that NASCAR has made a decision and for whatever reason just hasn’t announced it publicly. The main rule change regarding the pit crews as we understand it, is as follows: NASCAR will allow only four guys over the wall at any given time. What this means, is teams will have to make one regular pit stop into two stops. They will come down and get tires on the first stop, then have to come back in for fuel. For those of you that were familiar with pit stop rules in the USAR ProCup Series, this new rule is similar to that. From what I understand, this means teams will utilize two tire changers, a jackman, and a tire carrier for tire stops.(TheNASCARInsiders.com)(1-27-2009)
UPDATE 2: During an interview on Sirius NASCAR’s The Morning Drive program, HT Motorsports team owner, Jim Harris said that the new rules coming down from NASCAR allows teams five people over the wall during pit stops. Teams will not be allowed to gas and change tires at the same time.(1-28-2009)
UPDATE 3: NASCAR will limit Camping World Truck Series teams to five men over the wall instead of seven and not allow them to fuel and change tires during the same pit stop this season, the sanctioning body has announced. Teams also will not be able to use three different engines in three consecutive events, excluding the races at Daytona and Talladega. After an engine’s initial use, competitors must declare the use of an engine for a future event, and the engine will be sealed by NASCAR. If an engine expires during a race weekend and the team must use a different engine, it must start in the rear of the field, just as in previous seasons. The rule applies to a team’s three consecutive races entered and not just the three consecutive races on the schedule, meaning that if a team skipped races, it would still need to race the same engine in two of any three events it enters. Many teams already had used engines in at least two events before replacing various pieces. In another cost-cutting move, a crew chief must designate a maximum of 12 active crew members for each event. Active crew members include crew chief, driver, spotter and crew members that enter the truck servicing area of pit road during the race.(SceneDaily.com)(1-29-2009)
