The first round of the 2025 NASCAR playoffs began at Darlington last week, and here’s a breakdown of the craziness that happened on pit lane during that race.
Darlington was a very eventful race on pit lane with seemingly endless actions and mistakes. We dig into the details of the day of every playoff pit crew plus mention some non-playoff notables that were chomping at record pit stop times.
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In 2018, he made his pro mechanic debut at Watkins Glen and now works as a tire carrier and mechanic for Vasser Sullivan Racing in IMSA, with 10 wins and a 2023 GTD Pro title. Bozi also consults via his agency Podium Prime, with clients ranging from race teams to media production companies.
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A transcript of the video, summarized by AI and edited by a human staffer, is below.
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Transcript:
Darlington had an incredibly busy pit lane with a mix of very fast stops and a surprising number of mistakes. Some playoff pit crews showed up strong, while others had errors and chaos. Meanwhile, several non-playoff crews, with less pressure, pushed themselves hard. We even came close to seeing a pit stop record broken. Let’s go through the details.
The first stop worth highlighting was the big mistake from the No. 48 crew. During the race, they came in with an issue on the right rear. The wheel gun wasn’t working due to a lack of nitrogen pressure. Instead of quickly grabbing a spare gun or checking the hose, there was a lot of confusion. The real problem wasn’t that the wheel gun failed—it was that they weren’t prepared with spares. When the tire changer went back to the wall, the backup gun handed to him wasn’t even connected to a hose. There was fumbling, wasted time, and no preparation.
In my experience, spare guns and hoses are always tested before a race. Something happened between their first successful stop and the second, but at this level you must be ready. Hendrick crews even have hubs mounted for practice at their pit boxes, so there’s no reason not to test every gun on the hub before a stop. This mistake put the 48 behind and will likely be a big discussion point in their review this week.
Another issue was the lack of communication. I’m usually a fan of non-verbal communication, but this situation called for an intercom system. That could have saved time and confusion. Instead, it turned into a 30–40 second stop that buried the 48 for the day.
The 24 also had a close call, but experience saved them. On one stop, it looked like the left-side wheel wasn’t seated properly as the car was dropped. Tire carrier Ryan Patton literally jumped on the hood to stop William Byron from leaving, while the crew shouted on the radio to “Stop, stop, stop.” Quick reactions kept the time loss minimal, the exact opposite of what happened with the 48.
The other Hendrick cars had smaller issues. Larson’s stop on lap 232 ran long because of adjustments, then got worse when traffic on pit lane slowed him and Ross Chastain ran into him. Overall, though, the 5 and 9 had fairly average days.
For Joe Gibbs Racing, the No. 11 had the roughest outing. Denny Hamlin slid long into his pit box, throwing everything off. That led to delays on the right rear, the car being dropped too early, and the jackman having to re-lift it. Tire carrier Dylan lost his wedge wrench mid-stop, which cost several extra seconds. A process that normally takes 1–2 seconds took 5, doubling their pit stop time. To top it off, Hamlin sat in the box for a couple of seconds after the stop, showing frustration. What started as a small driver mistake compounded into a 9–10 second delay.
The No. 20 crew had a solid day aside from one right rear issue, while the No. 19 crew stood out with consistent 8-second stops all race long. Every stop was within 3–4 tenths, an impressive level of consistency that kept Chase Briscoe out front. That crew has really come together lately, led by veteran tire changer Lee Cunningham.
The 23XI cars had mixed results. The 23 had strong, fast stops, including a recovery from a right rear issue that didn’t cost much time. Bubba Wallace responded positively, making up positions on track. The 45, meanwhile, had heavy repairs after an early crash. Jackman Damen Jackson had to adjust his technique the rest of the night due to damage, but the crew still delivered consistent stops.
Penske’s playoff cars had quieter days. The 2 was solid with only a small right rear delay on lap 153. The 12 lost time when the 77 and 20 collided in front of their pit box, then suffered damage later requiring repairs. The 22 was steady, with only a minor right-side delay late in the race. The Wood Brothers’ 21 spent most of the race repairing crash damage.
Austin Dillon’s No. 3 team had an average day, with a slow right rear on lap 117 and a long fuel stop on lap 153 for strategy reasons.
Trackhouse had two very different stories. The 88 of Shane van Gisbergen spent the day making big setup changes, including a 54-second stop on lap 118 for suspension adjustments. Most of their stops were long for the same reason, so the crew’s performance wasn’t the real issue. The No. 1 of Ross Chastain had strong stops with new jackman Josh Appleby, but a left rear slowdown late in the race cost them a couple of seconds when the fueler’s hose got tangled. Otherwise, they were excellent.
The Trackhouse-trained pit crews on non-playoff cars were some of the night’s best. The No. 16 crew for AJ Allmendinger consistently hit 8-second stops without mistakes, including an 8.1-second stop that gained seven positions. That group has been shuffled around this year, but they’ve come together impressively. The No. 42 crew for John Hunter Nemechek also had one of their fastest stops of the season, just a few tenths off the 16’s pace.
