NASCAR evaluating new restart rule

UPDATE NASCAR is evaluating the 50-foot distance announced at the Budweiser Shootout as the new standard for the leader to restart an event. It could decrease from track to track based on driver input, officials said. Under the new rule, the leader has between the double-red line 50 feet from the start-finish line and single-red line at the start-finish line to start the race. Otherwise, the starter on the flag stand will start the field. ESPN.com

02/07/09 NASCAR has taken the restart option out of the leading drivers hands.

In the past, NASCAR had set of double-red lines on the wall, typically coming out of Turn 4, and drivers had the option of starting in the vicinity of the lines or anytime before reaching the flagstand.

NASCAR now will throw the green flag if the leader is 50 feet past the double-red lines and has not mashed the gas. A single-red line on the wall will signify the end of the restart zone. There will be no penalty for a driver who fails to restart the race in the zone, but he would be an idiot not to because the rest of the field will blow right past him.

Last year, drivers kept restarting closer to the flagstand instead of the vicinity of the red lines to play mind games with the opposition.

“Things change from time to time, and we’re getting to where we wanted to talk about it and the teams wanted to talk about it," NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said. “We talked to the drivers and the teams, and this is a start of what we think would be a solution to some of the restarts."

The rule will go into effect for the Budweiser Shootout tonight at Daytona International Speedway and the length of the zone could change.

“We want to stay as consistent as we can," Pemberton said. “We know that there might be situations, whether it be road courses, 2 1/2 miles, five-eighths miles [tracks]. Our goal is to have a zone that can go almost everywhere we go. We’ll see."