Welcome to the latest edition of Monday Morning Pit Box, where we break down the critical calls that shape the outcome of each week’s race. We take a look through the minds of those on pit road and, at times, call atop race control as well.
Ryan Blaney Recovers From Speeding Penalty
One of the biggest changes coming to Atlanta Motor Speedway was the length of pit lane: it was extended all the way to about turn 3. As a result, it takes almost a full minute to run the length of pit road.
That’s why it was important for drivers and teams to not make mistakes while pitting under green. Unfortunately, several drivers did get penalized, including the No. 12 of Ryan Blaney.
During stage two, Team Penske’s trio of Joey Logano, Blaney and Austin Cindric pitted around lap 132. Though they came back out together, Blaney had to make a pass-through down pit lane after speeding. This mired him back to about 33rd, two laps down with a risk of going three down.
But he and his team, led by crew chief Jonathan Hassler, never gave up. Blaney got a free pass on lap 191 after a caution for a crash and was back on the lead lap and in third place by lap 222. He stayed in the top 10 the rest of the way, eventually finishing in seventh place.
Though he finished behind his teammate and race winner Logano, Blaney and his team still pushed through adversity, avoided the incidents on track and recovered from what could’ve been a race-ending penalty.
Several Toyotas Overcome Issues With the Right Strategy
It was quite an eventful day for the Toyotas, starting with Bubba Wallace spinning out on his own on the backstretch on lap 10.
During the green-flag pit cycle in stage two, Christopher Bell’s crew chief Adam Stevens called for the No. 20 to stay out longer than everyone else. That didn’t work for Bell at first; he eventually pitted around lap 142 and came out on the outside of the top 10, losing spots.
During that same run, Tyler Reddick received fuel only, which put him up inside the top five at the end of the pit cycle.
However, the No. 45 encountered some trouble after stage two ended: the team couldn’t get the fuel tank full at first, so Reddick had to make a second stop. Also during this stage break, Ty Gibbs had to back up on pit road to get serviced. He was later involved in an incident after Kevin Harvick got turned at the front of the field. Gibbs and Austin Dillon ended up getting together but not much damage was…
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