Lug nuts and loose wheels continue to be the hot topics at Richmond International Raceway this weekend, as competitors suggest changes are needed in NASCAR rules.
Sprint Cup teams are no longer required to tighten or torque all five lug nuts. Some teams now use four lug nuts on one side of the car and only three on the other.
This has created a rash of loose wheels at races this year, with some drivers speaking out loud about it being a safety issue.
NASCAR fined Tony Stewart $35,000 Thursday afternoon after he criticized the sanctioning body in an interview with USA Today.
On Thursday evening, the nine-member NASCAR Sprint Cup Drivers’ Council agreed to pay Stewart’s fine.
“I think it kind of shows a unity between us,” said Denny Hamlin, one of the leaders of the Drivers Council. “It really has nothing to do with lug nuts or no lug nuts or anything like that, it’s more a case of drivers believing they have the right to express their opinion, especially when asked during an interview.”
Friday morning at Richmond International Raceway, two NASCAR representatives declined to comment on the situation.
But Stewart is far from alone in his concerns.
His Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kurt Busch also addressed the subject Friday morning on RIR.
“I think this is a safety issue that we should seek to address before there is a negative outcome,” Busch said. “To me it makes sense to have five lug nuts. You want five tight. You go to your Goodyear Tire store and rotate your tires, they put three lug nuts on, you won’t feel so comfortable with that.”
In an exclusive interview with FOXSports.com, Hendrick Motorsports general manager Doug Duchardt said the teams and the sanctioning body need to work together, as they have in other situations recently.
“We’ve done a lot of good work together – NASCAR and the teams – I feel like over the last year we’ve tackled a lot of tough issues, whether it’s the current aero package or efficiency in the sport or other safety items that we’re working on together,” Duchardt said. “And this is no different.”
And Duchardt says he’s aware that drivers are raising the issue.
“I hear the drivers loud and clear and I understand their concern,” Duchardt told FOXSports.com. “It’s hard to sit there with the steering wheel wobbly and feel good about it all.”
One dissenting voice was that of last weekend’s winner at Bristol, Carl Edwards, who said he was not concerned about loose wheels.
“If my engineers and my pit crew agree that it’s enough, then I’m in,” Edwards said. “NASCAR can do what it needs to do and I’m fine either way. In my experience, whatever they decide, it won’t affect me on the 19 team.”
