Nineteen teams were penalized for pitting too soon in Sunday’s Xfinity race at Chicagoland Speedway although NASCAR’s tower stated on the radio – which teams monitor – that pit road was open. The problem was that the official at the entrance at pit road had a red flag up and the red lights on, indicating pit road was closed. A green flag and green lights indicates pit road is open. Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, explained Monday on “The Morning Drive” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio what happened and why the drivers were penalized. “The tower did come over the radio and say pit road was open, but if you go back to the driver’s meeting, what we say in every driver’s meeting is the light and the flag are what dictates whether it’s open or not,” he said. “The (official) at the opening didn’t hear the radio communication so the red flag and light were still on and, in that case, if anyone comes down pit road and it’s technically closed via the light or the flag, they’ll receive a penalty for pitting too soon.”(NBC Sports)(6-22-2015)
