Cup teams can now use lift system for flat tires
CONCORD, N.C. — Starting this weekend, NASCAR Cup Series teams can now use a lift system designed to help cars with flat tires return to pit road.
Teams have the option to run an Ohlins rear damper that includes that lift. The new design swaps out the stock lower shaft end of the shock for a new lift actuator.
Cars using the dampers will have a valve in the driver’s side A-post (pictured below). When a safety worker arrives at the car, they will use a tank of compressed air to jack the car up 2-3 inches. According to NASCAR, that is enough for a driver to safely drive the car back to pit road.
After the crew changes the tires, they can pull the valve to lower the car back down.
The NextGen/Gen 7 car has a rear diffuser and doesn’t run with an inner-liner on any of the tires, which means a driver often can’t drive away when they have a flat tire. It’s in contrast to the Gen 6 car – and many previous generations – that didn’t have a rear diffuser and ran with an inner-liner in all four tires.
Back then, a driver could get back to pit road, often without losing multiple laps or even losing a lap at all. With the new car, there have been many instances of a driver getting stuck with a flat and losing a lap – or multiple laps – getting a tow, which damages their car. That prompted teams to lobby to NASCAR for a change, leading to this new system.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com