In NASCAR's pits, cameras can see all - SFGate
Until this year, NASCAR placed officials in each of the 43 pit-road boxes to make sure the crews obeyed the rules. At Sonoma Raceway, 49 high-definition video cameras are mounted on scissor lifts to watch what happens on pit road during Sunday’s Toyota/ Save Mart 350. To the untrained eye, what happens in a pit box looks like chaos — seven men in helmets and... Somebody adds fuel, others change tires, and others make adjustments in a choreographed routine orchestrated by a crew coach. In addition to removing officials from harm’s way, the Pit Road Officiating system is an attempt to judge possible fouls more fairly and more accurately. They say that after an initial spike in penalties over the first few races this season, the rate of infractions is about the same as it was last year. Chad Little , managing director of NASCAR technological inspection and officiating, showed The Chronicle how the system works Friday in a tour of the large trailer truck parked on a hill overlooking the track. The computer makes an initial call, resulting in an audible “ding” when, for example, a crew member jumps over the wall too soon. The system is used not only in the Sprint Cup series but also NASCAR’s Xfinity and truck series. It was tested in the last 11 races of last year’s Cup season. Source: www.sfgate.com
