How the NASCAR pit crew battles will decide the New Hampshire winner

On Sunday, Loudon takes the spotlight as the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin the Round of 12 at the 'Magic Mile'. A 1.058-mile oval with flat corners, New Hampshire Motor Speedway is notoriously tough to pass on. Track position means everything, and more often than not, races are won or lost on pit road. That makes pit stops one of the most decisive elements of the Mobil 1 301.

The opening round of the 2025 postseason offered plenty of reminders. Tire fall-off at Bristol shook up the running order, and costly mistakes on pit road ended playoff dreams for some. With margins razor-thin, the next three weeks may be decided as much by pit crews as by drivers behind the wheel.

Here are three ways NASCAR pit crews will decide the fate at New Hampshire and beyond:

#3 The fastest pit times in the NASCAR Cup Series

Kyle Larson (5) pit crew during the NASCAR Cup Series Cookout Southern 500. Source: Imagn

Every pit stop in a NASCAR Cup Series race comes down to seconds. A routine stop can shuffle a driver up multiple positions or drop them back into dirty air at New Hampshire, where passing is difficult. Across a full race, average pit time becomes one of the clearest markers of who gains and who loses.

Before the postseason began, Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, and William Byron were ranked among the top playoff contenders with the best pit crews. Three races into the playoffs, Larson’s crew has stayed on top, averaging 34.198 seconds per stop. Chase Briscoe follows at 34.55, with Wallace close behind at 34.66. Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, Byron, and Elliott are the only other playoff drivers with top ten in averages.

With the Round of 12 drivers separated by just 30 points from first to last, the smallest error on pit road could swing a driver’s entire postseason.

#2 Strategy calls that can make or break a race

Chase Elliott, his crew chief Alan Gustafson, and crew members in Phoenix, 2018. Source: Getty

Sometimes the race isn’t lost on speed, but on the pit box. Crew chiefs are tasked with bold decisions on tires and fuel that can turn into either a masterstroke or a disaster. This year’s playoffs already saw an example. Shane van Gisbergen ran inside the top 15 at Gateway but stayed out too long on worn tires, tumbling outside the top 25 once he finally stopped. The strategy never recovered, costing him a solid finish and eventually a playoff spot.

It’s not the first time a pit decision has unraveled a title bid. In the 2019 championship race, Christopher Gabehart and Denny Hamlin went aggressive with extra tape on the nose to add downforce. Instead, the engine overheated, Hamlin had to pit again, and the title slipped away.

#1 The championship stakes are highest on pit road

Pit road before the NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 at WWT Raceway. Source: Getty

The first three playoff races showed how brutal the pit lane can be. At Darlington, pit mistakes and mechanical failures plagued almost the entire 16-driver field. Josh Berry had issues in three straight races, SVG in two, and Alex Bowman in two, and all three drivers were eliminated. Even championship leaders weren’t safe. Larson and Hamlin both saw promising runs derailed by pit road trouble at Bristol.

Hamlin’s case was especially damaging. A lost wheel not only ruined his Bristol race but handed down suspensions to two crew members, weakening his team heading into New Hampshire. History has shown this before in 2019 at Homestead, when Martin Truex Jr.’s team mounted the wrong tires on opposite sides, sending him a lap down in the title decider.

With only two more chances after Mobil 1 301 - Kansas and the Charlotte Roval - playoff drivers know the margin for error is zero. One slow stop, one penalty, or one mechanical mishap can shift the balance of the entire NASCAR Cup Series.

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Edited by Rupesh