Okay, so yesterday I was watching the NASCAR race at Las Vegas, and things got pretty wild with Kyle Larson. I mean, they always do, right? But this time, it was all about the pit stops during those green flag runs. I decided to dig in and see what really happened.
Green Flag Pit Stops are Risky Business
First off, I needed to remind myself why green flag pit stops are such a gamble. Basically, if you pit under green, and a caution comes out, you’re toast. You’re going to lose a lap, maybe more. So, timing is everything.
Larson’s First Stop
I went back and watched the race replay. Larson made his first green flag stop relatively early in the first stage. I pulled up the lap data and jotted down the lap number he pitted on. It looked like a pretty standard stop, nothing crazy. He got four tires and fuel, and the crew got him out pretty quick. I made a note of the approximate time he spent on pit road, just to have a baseline.
The Second Green Flag Cycle
Then, it was time for the second round of green flag stops. This is where things got interesting. I was watching the leader board like a hawk, waiting to see when Larson would duck onto pit road. I noticed that some of the other guys, his main competitors, started pitting a few laps earlier. I started thinking, “Is he going to stay out longer? What’s the strategy here?” I recorded the lap numbers for those other drivers’ stops, just for comparison.
Larson Pits… Again!
Finally, Larson came in. I made sure to note the lap number, the pit stop time, and any adjustments they made to the car (which I usually find out from the broadcast or post-race interviews). It seemed like a pretty smooth stop, but the big question was: did he lose any ground to the guys who pitted earlier?
Analyzing the Results
After the cycle completed, I did a little bit of analysis. I compared Larson’s lap times before and after his stops to those of his competitors. I looked at the overall race chart to see how his position changed throughout the green flag runs. My goal was to see if his pit strategy – staying out a little longer – paid off or not.
- Checked Lap Numbers for pit stops
- Recorded approximate time for pit road
- Make notes about adjustments of the car
It’s a bit of a “what if” game, because you never know if a caution would have come out and changed everything. But by looking at the lap times and track position, I got a pretty good sense of whether Larson’s strategy helped him, hurt him, or was basically a wash. The data is what it is. But it’s always cool to try to figure out the “why” behind these races!