Pit Crew Report: Sonoma

How SVG's team helped deliver a victory to the No. 97, plus changes coming to Richard Childress Racing pit crew lineup

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

After a different choreography last week at San Diego, pit crews reverted to their usual direction at Sonoma Raceway. As a result, tire-change times immediately dropped, and a few crews stepped up.

Among them was the No. 5 pit crew of Kyle Larson, which recorded the best average of the day, and the race-winning No. 97 pit crew of Shane van Gisbergen, which made an appearance in the top 10 of the four-tire averages.

The fastest: No. 5 Kyle Larson crew

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Hendrick Motorsports is on top of the list again as the No. 5 pit crew of Kyle Larson led the four-tire averages chart at Sonoma. That group has been on the rise in the rankings over the past few weeks and helped lead Larson to a fourth-place finish with its 8.71-second average.

Here is how the top 10 four-tire averages looked for the day:

1. No. 5 - Hendrick Motorsports - Kyle Larson - 8.71s

2. No. 19 - Joe Gibbs Racing - Chase Briscoe - 8.82s

3. No. 11 - Joe Gibbs Racing - Denny Hamin - 8.84s

4. No. 9 - Hendrick Motorsports - Chase Elliott - 8.90s

5. No. 33 - Richard Childress Racing - Austin Hill - 9.03s

6. No. 16 - Kaulig Racing - AJ Allmendinger - 9.03s

7. No. 43 - Legacy Motor Club - Erik Jones - 9.04s

8. No. 54 - Joe Gibbs Racing - Ty Gibbs - 9.04s

9. No. 97 - Shane van Gisbergen - 9.12s

10. No. 48 - Hendrick Motorsports - Alex Bowman - 9.14s

One group that was notably absent from this list was the No. 20 pit crew of Christopher Bell. As we noted last week, they are operating with a substitute front tire changer, which means they have to adapt their chemistry to someone who hasn’t been with them all year. This team typically is in the top three for most races, but this week ended up 18th after a rough race on pit road where they had to retighten a wheel.

Fortunately, tire carrier Will Cooper spotted the left-front wheel wasn’t fully tight and physically stopped Christopher Bell’s car from leaving the pit stall so the team could properly tighten it. This likely saved the race as Bell leaving could have resulted in a loose wheel and suspension for the jackman and tire changer, which would mean going even deeper into their reserves for a substitute.

Slower performances for the No. 20 mean that the No. 9 pit crew of Chase Elliott is inching closer to taking the top spot away in the season rankings, and those crew members made sure they were on their way there by knocking out the fastest pit stop of the race.

The No. 97 pit crew of Shane van Gisbergen delivered for its driver, helping maximize the day at the type of track where the driver is likely to be most successful.

Changes on the horizon

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Richard Childress Racing appears to be shaking up the No. 33 pit crew of Austin Hill with three changes ahead of Chicagoland Speedway.

Bryan Ketchie will replace Shiloh Windor at the rear tire changer position, along with Garret Crall replacing Nick Covey on the jack and Tanner Wells replacing Lamar Neal as tire carrier.

Ketchie pits for Jeremy Clements Racing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and most recently pitted the No. 62 Cup Series car for Beard Motorsports. Crall started the year as part of this pit crew before being replaced by Covey and ending up on the backup crew alongside Ketchie. Wells is another development crew member who recently spent time on that No. 62 Cup cars and also pits the Clements car in the O’Reilly Series.

Many of the crew members in the Cup Series will see pit lane at Chicagoland Speedway for the first time this coming week, so some of the veterans will likely have a slight advantage this weekend due their familiarity.

Those who pit in the O’Reilly Series will be more likely to adapt quickly as they will have one full race of experience before the Cup race starts.

The aging of the Chicagoland surface means that tire wear will be increased, and that should result in more frequent visits to pit lane and put pressure on the pit crews to deliver.