NASCAR will use an LED drone marker to signify the choose area ahead of restarts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Cup Series races on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend.
This weekend marks the first time drivers will be able to choose their preferred lane on an impending restart on dirt, darting to the left of the marker to choose the inside lane or right for the outside lane. The drone will fly to the frontstretch just past the start/finish line, with the box lighting up to signify the choose zone.
With an ever-changing racing surface, an alternative way to mark the location of the choose section was necessary, noted Jesse Little, NASCAR‘s senior coordinator of competition operations.
“The project I think was spearheaded by Tim Bermann (senior director, competition operations) and the folks in broadcasting, productions and then competition operations,” Little told NASCAR.com Saturday. “And the question that was thrown to the group was, hey, we‘re choosing everywhere now, that includes dirt. Can‘t paint on the track. We don‘t want anybody running out there. We don‘t want anyone on pit road that would in the event, retrieve something from the racetrack. So what do we do?
— NASCAR.com —
