What is the speed limit on pit road for the 2016 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway?
There’s nothing more dreaded in NASCAR, then a pit road penalty for speeding. What could be a good race, could very well come to an end, because a driver went too fast in the pits and had to go back all the way around and come back through. There have been far too many instances where a race leader or a driver that is in contention for a win and potentially even more, has ended up losing it all because they went too quick down pit road.
At the Folds of Honor Quick Trip 500 this Sunday, drivers will have to adhere to the 45 mph speed limit, which is the common average speed for 1.5-mile tracks.
The speeds of pit road are determined by timing zones, which is the measurement that it takes a driver to go a distance. They are based upon the physics of a track and they vary from track to track.
These timing lines can create headaches for drivers and it also creates strategy on where drivers want to place their pit stalls during a race. Larger tracks will have a higher speed limit down pit road, while smaller tracks will have see a significantly slower speed limit.
The race at Atlanta Motor Speedway takes place on a 1.54-mile track, which means the drivers won’t have the same 55 mph advantage on pit road that they had last week at the Daytona 500.
The good news for drivers is that NASCAR allows a buffer of 5 mph for drivers, which makes it easier for them to get down to pit row speed. Still, pit road penalties have been on the rise over recent years and certainly have caused plenty of headaches for drivers with the added strategy of timing lines.
If there’s a safe bet this weekend, it’s that someone will receive a speeding penalty during the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. It’s always a frantic dash in the pits to get back out on the track and the drivers ultimately fall prey to NASCAR’s timing rules.