NASCAR veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his thoughts on the possibility of live pit stops in wet-weather conditions. Earnhardt argued against the practice until drivers get used to it.
The recent New Hampshire race began on wet-weather tires and transitioned to slicks during a lap 40 competition caution. The non-competitive pit stops erased the seven-second lead Shane van Gisbergen had built over the field.
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On the recent episode of ‘The Dale Jr. Download,’ Earnhardt addressed the matter and said,
“It is dangerous, our drivers don’t have any experience pitting a live stop in that condition. I think as we get a couple more of these type of events under our belt, maybe the confidence for NASCAR goes up. Maybe they hear the public screaming for live stops in these scenarios. We all want it.”
“We all want the teams to be allowed because it adds such an incredible layer of strategy. I just don’t know if our racers are ready,” he added.
SVG went on to finish Stage 1 among the top-10, before fading to a 20th-place finish. Fans voiced their frustrations with the induced caution, noting that NASCAR could’ve had an earlier stage break instead.
Drivers had their own struggles with the wet-weather tires. The rubber didn’t offer much support, as Tyler Reddick spun out in the opening lap, while Carson Hocevar lost the rear end of his car before the race even began.
Kyle Larson wants NASCAR to allow wet-weather pit stops
NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (5) stands by his pit box Saturday, July 25, 2026, during qualifying for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Kyle Larson believes NASCAR should allow teams to have more control over wet-weather pit stops. On the latest episode of ‘Door Bumper Clear,’ host Freddie Kraft suggested that NASCAR mandate that pit crews remain behind the wall until their car reaches the pit box.
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Larson argued against it, stating that it’s up to drivers to manage their pit entries during wet conditions. He also explained that pit roads can remain slick on worn-out dry tires, making it just as hard to pit.
“I think we’ve been doing this rain thing long enough now, it’s gone well. There’s other series that do live pit stops in the rain. Every other series does live pit stops in the rain. Why can’t we?” he said.
“And bring in that element of strategy. And I think that’s where the good teams can rise or even the slower teams like an SVG would have really smashed the field, he would’ve had a lot of cars a lap down,” Larson added.
Christopher Bell had a scary pit-road miscue at New Hampshire when his front tire changer was dragged by the car after the jack dropped. Bell promptly stopped to let the crew member walk away safely. Such incidents regularly happen during live stops and add an unpredictable element to the racing product. Read More:
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