NASCAR offers drivers a choice during Wednesday’s All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The Cup series is testing a “rule of choice” that allows drivers to choose which lane they want to be in to restart. It is a common method that occurs in short track racing, where it is traditionally called the “cone rule”, but it has never been used in the best NASCAR series.
Is that how it works:
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Normally, only the race leader can choose a lane to restart and everyone else completes the two rows based on the position of the track, leaving some disadvantaged because the condition of the surface can make the cars run better in one of the lanes.
The rule of choice allows drivers to first form a single file and then decide which lane they want when passing a V with a box behind that is painted on the track. [see image above]. Shorts often place a traffic cone on the track, which is how the rule got its original nickname.
Theoretically, if the first 10 drivers choose the left lane, the eleventh could go right and start in the front row, so there is a lot of strategy involved. If a driver is unable to make a choice on time and goes over the box, or is wrong, they will have to start from the end of the longest row.
NASCAR often uses the $ 1 million All-Star race, which does not count toward the season standings, to test new rules and technology. Along with the rule of choice, the cars at this year’s event will be equipped with the kind of low-gloss lighting that became famous in the movie “The Fast and The Furious.”
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