NASCAR drops tire rule to fix qualifying loophole

NASCAR has revised its tire rules in order to keep any team that fails to make a qualifying lap from having an advantage.

The sanctioning body issued a rules bulletin Wednesday, eliminating the mandate that NASCAR Cup teams must start a race on the tires they used in qualifying. The rule was intended to be a cost-saving measure.

Teams that failed to get through pre-qualifying inspection ended up on fresh tires for the start of a race; depending on the track, having fresh tires can be a significant advantage and virtually negate any disadvantage of starting at the rear of the field.

If a team fails to make a qualifying lap under the new rules, it must carry over a scuffed set of tires from practice to its tire allotment for the race.

NASCAR also announced a rule that would eliminate a big, circular handsaw that Furniture Row Racing used to fix its car during a recent race. NASCAR created a rule stating that teams must get series director approval to use anything but traditional battery-powered equipment — such as reciprocating saws, rivet guns, screw guns and drills — to repair a car on pit road during a race.

http://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/story/_/id/23523608/nascar-rolls-back-rules-requiring-cars-start-races-qualifying-tires