NASCAR has issued a rules bulletin ahead of the season-opening Daytona 500 (Feb. 15 at 2:30 p.m. ET on Fox). The sanctioning body has removed a trick from the teams' bags, which will impact qualifying laps.
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Drivers will no longer be able to complete their laps with one hand pressed up against the window net, as they frequently do while qualifying at superspeedways in particular. In fact, they are no longer allowed to block the air in any manner.
The drivers must keep their hands well away from the window and any openings where air can enter the car.
"As determined by NASCAR, once a vehicle exits pit road during a Qualifying attempt, the driver's hands may not be used to redirect air in any manner including but not limited to, touching the window net, blocking air from entering the cockpit, redirecting air from the window, etc. Non-compliance will result in loss of Qualifying time," the new Rule Book language states.
Why would a driver hold their hand next to the window net opening while completing a qualifying lap? Basically, any airflow into the cockpit can slow the car down and prevent a pole-winning run. Those who block the air best, particularly at drafting tracks, seem to post the best times.
A first.@joeylogano’s run marks the first ever Daytona 500 pole for Team Penske. pic.twitter.com/NDYC8nyGyj
— Team Penske (@Team_Penske) February 15, 2024
Three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano particularly took advantage of this trick during the 2024 season. Although he and Team Penske pushed too far and received a penalty.
Logano went out for qualifying during the February 2024 trip to EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta). He completed his lap and qualified second after using his hand to block air from entering the cockpit. However, NASCAR later penalized him for using an illegal webbed glove.
Logano had to drop to the rear of the field for the superspeedway race, and he had to serve a pass-through penalty. He ultimately finished 28th. He also received a $10,000 fine.
"If you take exactly what happened at the racetrack from a competition perspective and trying to enhance the performance on the racetrack — we see time and time again at superspeedways and other events where drivers stick their hand out the window," Elton Sawyer, SVP of competition, said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio in 2024. "That's not something that we've been all that alarmed about.
"When you take it to the level that you have modified one of the safety equipment, gloves in particular and then using that. So the penalty at the racetrack was based off that. We disallowed the qualifying time, put (Logano) at the back and also had them perform a pass through penalty under green."
