WATCH: Top NASCAR Drivers Take On An Interesting and Fun Challenge
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FORT WORTH, TX – MARCH 31: Corey LaJoie, driver of the #32 PROSPR Ford, is introduced prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on March 31, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
In NASCAR, it is not all work and no play for the drivers. During the season, they do find some time to kick back and have some fun. In a recent video, a few NASCAR drivers joined ‘kid reporter’ Lacey Caroline for a small game. Over here, they took on a challenge where they had to create a lug nut tower.
For the uninitiated, the lug nuts usually hold the wheels in place and prevent them from coming off. It’s safe to say that if a wheel were to break off at high speed, the picture would resemble something straight out of a Final Destination movie scene.
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Coming back to the challenge, Joey Gase, Erik Jones, and Corey LaJoie participated in it and had fun.
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According to Gase, the NASCAR lug nuts are generally yellow to help the pit crew see them better. It is also worth mentioning that the lug nuts are also glued in order to hold them in place. Additionally, the team also gets fined for losing the lug nuts.
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NASCAR will not use multiple lug nuts in the future
As it turns out, the 2020 season will be the final year of the five lug nut system. The switch to a single lug nut is largely down to the introduction of 18-inch aluminum wheels. This means that the tires will be larger than the 2020 iteration of the wheels, which could be problematic for pit crews.
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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – JANUARY 15: Erik Jones tests the Next Gen car at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
According to senior vice president John Probst, “The answer became pretty clear that we needed to go single lug nut. I know that a lot of folks might say, ‘Well, if product relevance is your main goal, name me a car that has a single lug nut’. I’m not sitting here saying I could, but I can name lots of cars that have 18-inch aluminum wheels. And that once we decided 18-inch aluminum wheels was the primary driver, the engineering solution was pretty clear.”
Probst also confirmed that the majority of teams approved of the single lug nut method. This is because it reduced the time needed to remove it, thus leading to quicker pit stops.
All this sounds good in theory, but people still have to see it in action in a racing scenario. That will be the acid test for the new system and hopefully, it proves its worth.
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