I am curious of the typical size of a pit ? I am wondering how Mid Ohio is going to handle all the cars , I am not a big NASCAR fan , but , I am excited to see Nationwide come to town (I live about 1 mile from the track).
So , anyone have any insight to pit size(s)
Thanks
Dan
I was wondering the same thing. I had many logistical questions about this race. Don't get me wrong, I am about as excited as I can be but I am trying to figure out a lot of issues. One being the pit stall size. The other is the amount of stalls. Mid Ohio only has 28 stalls. Even with the reduced field in Nationwide next year we are still looking at 40 cars. Also, pit road should be very interesting as the entrance and exit are as about as tight as they are anywhere. Obviously these can all be overcome, but I am wondering a lot of things about this event.
Jun
Yeah I have to agree. they can fix pit in very easily , they can move the barriers down there and pave over some of the grass , pit out , there isn't too much they can do there , unless they move the bridge, and I don't see that happening. Garages will be an issue also , but , that is an easy fix, unless they going to do something really crazy and move the pits for this race over to the back stretch , they would only displace about 20 motorhomes over there ...
They handled Trans Am cars with very big fields. But TA wasn't much of a pit-stop series IIRC.
R.I.P. Speedvision 1996-2001
Put out of its misery 2012
I can't ever see a scenario where pit lane would be moved. It seems like a nightmare. The pits and garages would have to trade places with the camping area and that is a monster investment just to satisfy a contract for one race for three years. I agree with the pit in and out,I think the pit in could use some help. I am very curious as to how this pit stall issue is going to work, but it won't effect the fan experience much. Regarding the racing I am also wondering about caution flags. I see a lot of time with the safety crew China Beach. My biggest hope with this race tho is that it motivates Mid Ohio to put some improvements into the track. Infield restrooms would be nice, sound system & scoreboard upgrades would be nice as well. I could go on but I hope the introduction of NASCAR helps motivate some improvements. Anyway I will get off my rant that has absolutely nothing to do with your orig question. Sorry I haven't been any help with that btw.Originally Posted by Dan_N8DCJ
Jun
Yeah I have to agree. they can fix pit in very easily , they can move the barriers down there and pave over some of the grass , pit out , there isn't too much they can do there , unless they move the bridge
Found an interview with Mid Ohio track president online (wmfd.com/vr then look under Sports Talk). He said NASCAR came to the track and measured pit road and while he did not give specific measurements he said they felt they could fit 40 stalls. He also did allude to the fact that the paddock could be closed for this race which is sad but that is a NASCAR thing. His overarching message is that there will be few improvements/changes to the track because of NASCAR so time will tell.
Well it is going to be interesting , the pit wall is basically 600 ft long , you divide that by 40 cars that leaves a total of 15 feet in length per car , that seems a little cramped to me , but , they are professionals right ... someone suggested that in the past they would only allow half the cars to pit at a time , maybe that's what they will be doing.
I have a friend who worked out there until just recently and he said there are plans for more buildings etc... but didn't elaborate on what/where (this was before any thought of Nationwide) , so , maybe some of the improvements will be for spectators...
Dan
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I hope some of the improvements are spectator related. Many things need help at this track and while much of it can be worked around in the short term. I wonder what the long term consequences could be for this track if they allow the infrastructure to degrade. It may have played a role in ALMS going to Texas rather than Ohio this year and I hope this is not a sign of things to come.
I imagine that most of the caution flag pit stops will only have about 2/3 of the cards on the lead lap anyway and that should help. I am sure there will be contact all over the track and expect that pit out will be no exception.
Also, as a follow-up to my earlier comment, paddock passes will not be available as this is a NASCAR rule. Definitely disappointing. I just hope that they allow some fan access with grid walks, and/or autograph sessions in the infield.
Hello all,
FOX is converting the SPEED Channel into a regular sports channel. This means the SPEED.com website is basically a dead man walking and the Motorsports forums are as well. It appears our long love/hate relationship with these boards has run its course.
Several of the long term posters at SPEED.com have come together and looked at our options. NBC Sports’ message boards are a joke so we decided instead of being at their mercy we would establish an independent forum to continue where the SPEED boards left off.
We have named it Motorsports Mayhem.
http://w11.zetaboards.com/Motorsports_Mayhem/index/
We have done this at no personal gain for ourselves. No one is making a dime off this site. All the revenue from the ads you will see is going to the forum hosting company Zetaboards.
The Moderation of the boards will be very hands off.
Hope to see you there.
___________________________
Blah, blah, blah...let's go racing.
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