Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota fielded by 23XI Racing achieved a historic milestone at Darlington Raceway, where his pit crew completed a four‑tire change in just 7.86 seconds, shattering the previous NASCAR record.
A New Benchmark in Pit Stop Speed
The record was set during the Southern 500 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, where the crew—front tire changer Austin Dickey, rear tire changer Adam Hartman, tire carrier Joe Crossen, jackman Nathan Ricketts and fueler Joshua Pech—outpaced Christopher Bell’s former benchmark of 7.98 seconds.
Although Wallace finished eighth in the event, the rapid stop came under yellow‑flag conditions and helped him gain four positions, illustrating how split‑second efficiency can reshape a race’s momentum while Christopher Bell claimed victory ahead of Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick.
The acceleration of pit stop speeds since the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022 reflects a broader shift toward standardized, single‑hub designs that have collectively trimmed milliseconds from each stop, a trend that has become a focal point for teams striving for competitive advantage.
The performance underscores the growing importance of pit crew coordination and technology in NASCAR, a development that fans and analysts alike are watching closely as the sport continues to evolve.