NASCAR To Begin Double-File Restarts At Pocono?

According to a slip of the tongue by Michael Waltrip and friends on "This Week in NASCAR" and a blurb in an article on FoxSports.com, double-file restarts could be implemented in the Sprint Cup Series as soon as this weekend at Pocono.

During the broadcast, a discussion began about cars getting caught a lap down and how confusing it is for the fans when the leader starts behind a number of cars on the tail end of the lead lap. 

Shortly into the conversation, Waltrip let it slip:

Michael Waltrip: "Get ready for some fun hopefully this weekend at Pocono. We're going to double things up."

Steve Byrnes: "Double-file restarts."

Chad Knaus: "Is that official? I don't think you can talk about that yet. Shhhh."

Byrnes: "They handed stuff out to you guys at the drivers' meeting, did they not?"

Knaus: "I don't think we're supposed to talk about it yet."

Byrnes: "Uh-oh."

Waltrip: "I just want you to know it's going to be cool though."

Byrnes: "We just walked down the double-file restart path, didn't we?"

Waltrip: "Whenever that happens, it's gonna be fun."

Byrnes: "This weekend, maybe."

The trio quickly moved past their "oops" moment full of hushed snickers and furtive glances, immediately turning their attention back to analyzing the race at Dover this past Sunday without further mention of the subject.

But in the "lugnuts" news-and-notes section of an article by Lee Spencer published today on FoxSports.com and reprinted on Jayski.com, the proposal was laid out in more detail:

"NASCAR distributed proposals to crew chiefs regarding possible procedures for double-file restarts which could be introduced as early as Pocono Raceway next week. The proposal states all starts will be double file. The race leader will have his choice of which lane to use for the restart. The third-place car will always start in the inside lane. There will be no changes in the free pass or "lucky dog," and cars that are one lap down can choose not to pit, therefore regaining a lap during a caution. The new rule appears to be a work in progress but Pocono is a 2.5-miler with plenty of space and opportunity to figure it out ..."

According to those notes, the current system of lead-lap cars lining up on the outside lane with lap-down cars on the inside will finally be laid to rest, much to the joy of many who have been calling for such a change for quite some time now.

The calls for change have been put forward before by those who cite the fact the current restart methods after caution have been made unnecessary with the advent of the "free pass" or "lucky dog," where the first car a lap down gets a lap back.

Increased calls for this change had come from all corners since the All-Star Race three weeks ago, where fans were treated to an incredible show helped immensely by having the fastest cars starting together with no slower traffic bogging them down.

The All-Star Race, unlike normal points-paying races, uses the double-file restart so that all of the leaders will restart together at the front of the pack. Any cars a lap or more down will start together behind them.

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.