Pit Stop Challenge

Last updated

Pit Stop Challenge
Pit stop competition (47966306662).jpg
Action during the 2019 Pit Stop Challenge
Sport American open-wheel car racing
CompetitionPit stop contest
Discipline IndyCar Series
Awarded forOutstanding performance by a pit crew
History
First award1977
First winner Jim McElreath (Carillo Racing)
Most wins Team Penske (19)
Most recent Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing)

The Pit Stop Challenge is a single elimination, pit stop competition held two days before the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana and after the final practice session on Carb Day. [lower-alpha 1] [1] [2] [3] First held in 1977, the contest has pit crews compete head-to-head in single-round eliminations for three rounds. In each round they conduct a standard pit stop—switching all four tires on a racing vehicle and simulating refuelling via a fuel hose connection to the fuel tank—in the shortest possible time in a drag race-style event that happens in a specially constructed dual pit lane. [lower-alpha 2] [3] [5] [6] Each round commences with the green lights being illuminated to signal to both drivers who are lined up side-by-side to begin from a standing start. [3] [7] They enter the pit box and stop there before crossing the finish line, which is 200 ft (61 m) away, as fast as possible. [3] [4] During the competition, no fuel is used, [8] and all pit stops must last for a minimum of three seconds. [9] The time a team's car spends in its pit box determines the winner, and the fastest team in each pairing advances to the next round. [5] [6] Squads may be assessed time penalties if they exit their pit box with an incorrectly fitted tire, if pit crews or equipment leave their designated area, or if a driver runs over pit equipment such as an air hose. [5] [10]

Contents

Since 2017, the top two teams have competed in a three-round final. The team with the fastest time in the semi-finals gets to select their preferred lane for the final, and the team with the fastest time in the final gets to choose their favored lane for the third and deciding round. [11] The tournament bracket is decided by a blind draw, and the top four teams receive a bye from the first round to the quarter-finals, with the remaining squads beginning in the first round. [6] [12] Contest participants are selected from IndyCar Series-registered teams and Indianapolis 500 entrants. Qualification for the contest is based on pit stop performance after the last Indianapolis 500, current season IndyCar entrant standings positions, and one-off Indianapolis 500 entries. [lower-alpha 3] [13] The winning team and driver share the winners' prize of $50,000 from $150,000 total prize money. [lower-alpha 4] [22] Each crew member receives pit lane equipment from prize donors at a Gasoline Alley giveaway as well as Jostens custom-designed rings. [23] [24]

The competition allows pit crews for the Indianapolis 500 to adjust their routines, practice to reduce errors, and become acquainted with their pit lane box. [25] [26] Past sponsors of the competition include Miller, [27] Coors, [28] Checkers/Rally's, [29] McDonald's, [30] Izod, [31] TAG Heuer, [11] and Ruoff Mortgage. [13] It was canceled in 2008 due to rain, [32] and all advertized prize monies were donated to charity; [30] it was also canceled in both 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana. [33] As of May 2024, the record for the most victories is held by Team Penske with 19 wins since their first win in the 1981 final. [34] Galles Racing are in second place with six wins, and Chip Ganassi Racing are third with four victories. Hélio Castroneves has the most victories among drivers, with eight, followed by Scott Dixon and Danny Sullivan with four wins each. [22] [35] [36] Rick Rinaman has four wins, more than any other chief mechanic. Travis Law, Matt Jonsson, Owen Snyder, and Travis Law follow in second place with three victories each. The inaugural winner was Carrillo (Jim McElreath) in the 1977 final, while the most recent winner was Team Penske (Josef Newgarden) in the 2024 final. [35] [36]

Winners and runner-ups

Key
Indicates driver won the contest and the Indianapolis 500 in the same year
2–1Denotes an entrant's winning score from 2017–present
sTime in seconds
Winners and runners-up of the Pit Stop Challenge [36] [37]
YearWinnerScoreRunner-upRef
TeamDriverChief MechanicTime (s)TeamDriverChief MechanicTime (s)
1977 Carrillo Jim McElreath Dave Klym15.09N/A Patrick Racing Wally Dallenbach Sr. George Bignotti15.82 [38]
1978 Team McLaren Johnny Rutherford Steve Roby13.80N/APolak Racing Larry Dickson Chuck Looper17.27 [14]
Phil Sharp
1979 Team McLaren Johnny Rutherford Steve Roby13.51N/A Jerry O’Connell Tom Sneva Jud Phillips13.94 [39]
1980 AMI Racing Division Tom Bigelow Paul Leffler14.04N/AAMI Racing Division Greg Leffler Paul Leffler14.50 [15]
1981 Team Penske Bobby Unser Laurie Gerrish13.00N/A Kraco Racing Larry Cannon Phil Trasher23.20 [40]
1982 Team Penske Rick Mears Peter Parrott13.930N/A A. J. Foyt Enterprises A. J. Foyt Jack Starne18.050 [16]
1983 Team Penske Rick Mears Peter Parrott13.860N/A Alex Morales Pancho Carter Johnny Caples15.528 [41]
1984 Kraco Racing Michael Andretti Brian Stewart18.520N/A Mayer Motor Racing Howdy Holmes Steve Roby18.948 [42]
1985 Team Penske Danny Sullivan Chuck Sprague11.742N/A Forsythe Racing Howdy Holmes Barry Green11.734 [43]
1986 Team Penske Danny Sullivan Chuck Sprague20.288N/A Truesports Bobby Rahal Steve Horne22.734 [17]
1987 Newman/Haas Racing Mario Andretti Colin Duff18.050N/A Truesports Bobby Rahal Steve Horne23.270 [44]
1988 [lower-alpha 5] Team Penske Danny Sullivan Chuck Sprague14.782N/A Newman/Haas Racing Mario Andretti Colin Duff15.006 [46]
1989 Galles Racing Al Unser Jr. Owen Snyder14.716N/A Newman/Haas Racing Mario Andretti Colin Duff26.582 [lower-alpha 6] [47]
1990 Galles-Kraco Racing Al Unser Jr. Owen Snyder14.094N/A Galles-Kraco Racing Bobby Rahal Jim PrescottNo Time [lower-alpha 7] [49]
1991 Patrick Racing Danny Sullivan Mike Hull13.114N/A Galles-Kraco Racing Bobby Rahal Jim Prescott13.382 [50]
1992 Rahal-Hogan Racing Bobby Rahal Jim Prescott13.324N/A Chip Ganassi Racing Eddie Cheever Chris GriffisNo Time [lower-alpha 8] [51]
1993 Galles-Kraco Racing Al Unser Jr. Owen Snyder13.118N/A Newman/Haas Racing Mario Andretti John Simmonds16.104 [52]
1994 Forsythe Green Racing Jacques Villeneuve Kyle Moyer12.867N/ATeam LOSI John Paul Jr. Randy Bain13.590 [53]
1995 Team Green Jacques Villeneuve Kyle Moyer14.556N/A Newman/Haas Racing Michael Andretti Tim Bumps14.660 [27]
1996 Galles Racing Davy Jones Mitch Davis14.176N/A Pagan Racing Roberto Guerrero Doug Barnes16.368 [18]
1997 Galles Racing Kenny Bräck Gary Armentrout14.284N/A Team Cheever Eddie Cheever Mitch Davis15.133 [28]
1998 Panther Racing Scott Goodyear Kevin Blanch17.307 [lower-alpha 9] N/A Team Menard Robbie Buhl John O'GaraNo Time [lower-alpha 9] [20]
1999 Galles Racing Davey Hamilton Darren Russell12.680N/A A. J. Foyt Enterprises Kenny Bräck Bill Spencer14.560 [19]
2000 Panther Racing Scott Goodyear Kevin Blanch11.190N/A Treadway Racing Robby McGehee Rick Hurford12.720 [lower-alpha 10] [55]
2001 Kelley Racing Scott Sharp Robert Perez9.20N/A Galles Racing Al Unser Jr. Russ Marr12.67 [21]
2002 Team Penske Hélio Castroneves Rick Rinaman8.555N/A Chip Ganassi Racing Jeff Ward Barry Wasner10.3433 [56]
2003 Cheever Racing Buddy Rice David Meehan8.8401N/A Team Penske Hélio Castroneves Rick Rinaman9.1341 [57]
2004 Rahal Letterman Racing Buddy Rice Ricardo Nault12.3365N/A Team Penske Hélio Castroneves Rick Rinaman24.4430 [lower-alpha 11] [29]
2005 Team Penske Sam Hornish Jr. Matt Jonsson8.9704N/A Andretti Green Racing Bryan Herta Jeff Grahn9.9170 [58]
2006 Team Penske Hélio Castroneves Rick Rinaman8.0852N/A Andretti Green Racing Dario Franchitti Dave Popielarz8.4428 [59]
2007 Team Penske Hélio Castroneves Rick Rinaman8.335N/A Team Penske Sam Hornish Jr. Matt Jonsson8.888 [60]
2008 Canceled due to rain [32]
2009 Team Penske Hélio Castroneves Rick Rinaman7.962N/A Andretti Green Racing Marco Andretti Jeff Grahn9.456 [61]
2010 Team Penske Hélio Castroneves Sean Hanrahan8.001N/A Newman/Haas Racing Hideki Mutoh Todd Phillips9.548 [62]
2011 Team Penske Ryan Briscoe Matt Jonsson7.882N/A Chip Ganassi Racing Dario Franchitti Kevin O'Donnell8.481 [63]
2012 Chip Ganassi Racing Scott Dixon Kevin O'Donnell13.769N/A Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Oriol Servià Chris Hogue17.194 [31]
2013 Team Penske Hélio Castroneves Sean Hanrahan14.475N/A Chip Ganassi Racing Dario Franchitti Kevin O'Donnell14.854 [64]
2014 Chip Ganassi Racing Scott Dixon Blair Julian11.658N/A Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Sage Karam Mark Weida12.163 [65]
2015 Team Penske Hélio Castroneves Travis Law12.561N/A Chip Ganassi Racing Charlie Kimball Mark Sampson13.017 [66]
2016 Team Penske Hélio Castroneves Travis Law12.235N/A Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Mikhail Aleshin Taylor Kiel19.381 [67]
2017 Team Penske Will Power Matt Jonsson11.6142–1 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports James Hinchcliffe N/A13.223 [68]
2018 Chip Ganassi Racing Scott Dixon Blair Julian11.6142–1 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports James Hinchcliffe N/A12.495 [69]
2019 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Marcus Ericsson Bob Jansen11.7942–1 Chip Ganassi Racing Scott Dixon Blair Julian13.132 [70]
2020 Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana [33]
2021
2022 Team Penske Josef Newgarden Travis Law10.9492–0 Chip Ganassi Racing Scott Dixon Blair Julian11.911 [71]
2023 Chip Ganassi Racing Scott Dixon Tyler Rees11.0122–1 Team Penske Will Power David Faustino12.552 [22]
2024 Team Penske Josef Newgarden Chad Gordon10.7922–0 Arrow McLaren Pato O'Ward Chris Nash12.647 [35] [72]

Statistics

Action from the 2015 Pit Stop Challenge Pit Stop Challenge - Carb Day 2015 - Stierch.jpg
Action from the 2015 Pit Stop Challenge
Team Penske won the 2015 Pit Stop Challenge Team Penske wins Pit Stop Challenge - Carb Day 2015 - Stierch 2.jpg
Team Penske won the 2015 Pit Stop Challenge
Multiple wins by team [22] [35] [36]
TeamWinsFirst winLast win
Team Penske 19 1981 2024
Galles Racing 6 1989 1999
Chip Ganassi Racing 4 2012 2023
Andretti Green Racing 2 1994 1995
Panther Racing 2 1998 2000
Rahal Letterman Racing 2 1992 2004
Team McLaren 2 1978 1979
Multiple wins by driver [22] [35] [36]
DriverWinsFirst winLast win
Hélio Castroneves 8 2002 2016
Scott Dixon 4 2012 2023
Danny Sullivan 4 1985 1991
Al Unser Jr. 3 1989 1993
Scott Goodyear 2 1998 2000
Rick Mears 2 1982 1983
Josef Newgarden 2 2022 2024
Buddy Rice 2 2003 2004
Johnny Rutherford 2 1978 1979
Jacques Villeneuve 2 1994 1995
Multiple wins by chief mechanic [36]
Chief mechanicWinsFirst winLast win
Rick Rinaman4 2002 2009
Matt Jonsson3 2005 2017
Travis Law3 2015 2022
Owen Snyder3 1989 1993
Chuck Sprague3 1985 1988
Kevin Blanch2 1998 2000
Sean Hanrahan2 2010 2013
Blair Julian2 2014 2018
Kyle Moyer2 1994 1995
Peter Parrott2 1982 1983
Steve Roby2 1978 1979

Notes

  1. From 1977 to 2004, the event was held three days before the race on Thursday. Starting in 2005, Carb Day was moved to Friday and the event moved to Friday along with the Freedom 100, an Indy Lights race. [1]
  2. Previously, tire fitting was restricted to a racing car's right-hand side. [4]
  3. Previous criteria included pit stop time trials held during the race week and a selection made by the race's promoter. [6] [8]
  4. The prize money given to the winning team has been variously set at $8,250, [14] $10,000, [15] $20,000, [16] $25,000, [17] $35,000, [18] $37,500, [19] $40,000, [20] and $42,500. [21]
  5. The 1988 Pit Stop Challenge final was re-run after both teams received penalties in the first final: Danny Sullivan because a tire fitter went over the barrier too soon and Mario Andretti for fitting the wrong tires. [45]
  6. Mario Andretti was penalized five seconds for having a loose wheel fitted to his car. [47]
  7. The pit crew of Bobby Rahal was unable to record a time due to a cross-threaded left rear lug nut. [48]
  8. Eddie Cheever did not record a time because he did not leave his pit stall. [51]
  9. 1 2 A loose lugnut added five seconds to Panther Racing's original time of 12.307 seconds. Team Menard did not record a time because Robbie Buhl stalled and he was unable to leave his pit box. [20]
  10. For allowing a tire to leave the pit box, Treadway Racing was imposed a three-second time penalty. [54]
  11. Team Penske was penalized ten seconds for Hélio Castroneves driving over an air hose as he exited the pit box. [29]

Bibliography

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