Three-time Cup champion Joey Logano, who was involved in a pit road incident this past weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, says that the track should widen pit road because “we are flirting with disaster on that pit road.”
Homestead, though, does not rank among the five Cup tracks with the narrowest pit road, according to Racing Insights data.
Logano was involved in a pit road accident when Josh Berry collected him after bouncing off Kyle Larson’s car on Lap 84 of the 267-lap race. Both Logano and Berry spun into unoccupied pit stalls during the caution flag pit sequence.
But what could have been concerns Logano. Asked Tuesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “The Morning Drive” about widening pit road at Homestead, Logano said:
“I don’t know what their plans are as far as renovations down there, but I would put that as the No.1 priority. Not because of the wreck on pit road but because of the safety risk for the pit crew. We are flirting with it. We are flirting with disaster on that pit road. Nobody wants to see that. … No one wants to see that on TV, someone getting crushed.
“The long-term impact, even if you’re OK, of an injury that a big old stock car comes running at you. It’s one thing when there is a car coming at you and you see it and you jump up in the air, it’s not good don’t get me wrong, it’s still going to be really bad, but when your back is to a car, like if you’re a tire changer, and you’re on your knees and you are low and a car comes sliding at you and you can’t see it coming and you can’t get out of the way. Oh my God.
“If you can get up and aim for the windshield (to jump on) everyone knows that’s better. But if you don’t see it coming and you can’t get out of the way? It happens so fast. If they’re already doing a lot of work, if they can make pit road 10 feet wider (would) be a world of difference.”
Homestead-Miami Speedway is tied for seventh among NASCAR Cup tracks in terms of the narrowest pit roads. That is based on the distance measured from the edge of a pit stall to the outer line or wall.
World Wide Technology Raceway’s pit road is the tightest in the series at 22 feet wide.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway ranks second in Cup with a pit road that is 24 feet wide. A member of Ryan Blaney’s pit crew was treated and released from a local hospital after he was struck by Brennan Poole’s car on pit road in the 2020 race when the field got stacked up.
The pit road at Circuit of the Americas is 26 feet wide to rank third in Cup, according to Racing Insights. Tied for fourth is Darlington Raceway and Martinsville Speedway, which hosts the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series this weekend. Both Darlington and Martinsville have pit roads that are 28 feet wide.
Dover Motor Speedway ranks sixth with a pit road width of 29 feet. Next is Homestead, Texas Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. Each track’s pit road is 32 feet wide.
Homestead-Miami Speedway is owned by NASCAR. A NASCAR spokesperson told NBC Sports on Tuesday that there are no current plans to reconfigure pit road.
A pit road incident at the track led to NASCAR requiring pit crew members to wear a helmet when they went over the pit wall.
Three of Ricky Rudd’s pit crew members were injured in the 2001 Cup race at Homestead. Casey Atwood and Ward Burton collided as they exited their pit stalls, sending Burton’s car into Rudd’s pit stall while his crew serviced the car.
Burton’s car hit Rudd’s jackman and both tire changers, along with sending a NASCAR official onto the hood of his car. None wore helmets. One pit crew member was seriously injured and airlifted to a local hospital.
Ahead of the 2002 season, NASCAR required pit crew members to wear head protection when they went over the wall.
Logano also discussed pit road speed this week on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. At Homestead, the pit road speed limit was 45 mph.
“Even if you slow down the pit road speed, which is probably the easiest thing to do, it still doesn’t really fix the problem,” Logano said. “Josh and I weren’t even up to pit road speed when we went spinning around. I was just getting going. It’s kind of a scary, sketch thing. I feel like we’re flirting with disaster on that one. We’re definitely playing with fire.”
