(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images for NASCAR)
As many have stated, the benefits of this are not only that it puts the fastest cars together to race side-by-side after every caution, but it also creates a second "race-within-a-race" amongst the other drivers not on the lead lap.
More importantly, this "race-within-a-race" amongst those vying to get a lap back will no longer impede the progress of cars battling for the lead, which often led to a few lead lap cars breaking away from the pack while miring the rest amongst lapped cars.
This change was reportedly one of the hot topics of conversation at the recent NASCAR "Town Hall" meetings between NASCAR officials and the drivers and owners as a way to bring more excitement to each race.
Various officials and reporters had stated that this change could be implemented within a month, but these latest reports point to it beginning this weekend.
As NASCAR officials have stated recently and as stated above, this new rule is a work in progress. The details of who lines up where amongst those more than a lap down were not addressed specifically, but are assumed to be similar to short-track rules.
One interesting thing to note from the proposal is that not only does the "lucky dog" rule remain intact as a way for a driver to get a lap back, but also that "cars that are one lap down can choose not to pit, therefore regaining a lap during a caution."
How this plays out on the track remains to be seen, hopefully as soon as this weekend.
Although there has been discussion of double-file restarts being implemented through all three major series, none of the information reported today shed any light on how soon such changes could come to the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series.
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