“That is so senseless”: Richard Petty’s former crew chief argues against fuel-saving tactics for faster pit stops

Richard Petty's former crew chief, Dale Inman, has shared his thoughts on the fuel-saving tactics for faster pit stops. Arguing about it with Petty, Inman opined that such tactics are "senseless" given that the pit road is always busy, and a driver can get delayed because of another driver on the pit road.

Richard Petty and Dale Inman sat together to discuss the recently concluded Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While talking about the race in their latest Petty Family Racing podcast on YouTube, the duo spoke about how teams tend to save fuel for faster pit stops.

As Richard Petty mentioned how the teams try the truck, Inman shared his argument. Speaking his thoughts, here's what Inman said on the fuel-saving tactics for faster pit-stops.

"That is, that is so senseless. I think because a lot of the deal on the pit stops is who you're behind. If they slow you down getting in and get if somebody's in the pit in front of you, coming in it slows you down."

"If somebody's in the pit of you going out, it slows you down. And I'm not sure I would play that game, but I might have to if I was. Of course, I'm not a crew chief anymore, so," he further added. (4:54-5:17)

Notably, a driver may face a brief blockade if another driver pits in front of him moments before he wants to leave the pit. The scenario may get even more cluttered if more than one driver pits, all around the same time, which is the case most of the time.

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Richard Petty's former crew chief surprised by Kyle Larson's pace against Bubba Wallace at Indianapolis

Richard Petty's former crew chief, Dale Inman, shared his thoughts on Kyle Larson's inability to touch Bubba Wallace in terms of pace at the recently concluded Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Speaking about how Larson's pace surprised him, here's what Richard Petty's former crew chief, Inman, said:

Bubba Wallace (23) races against Kyle Larson (5) during the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway - Source: Imagn

"I was really surprised. I'm, I'm surprised that the five car couldn't race him. He drove off and left the five car twice." (5:58-6:07)

Notably, Kyle Larson was one of the contenders for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Cup Series race victory on Sunday. Having started his race from 13th, the Hendrick Motorsports driver improved to eighth by Stage 1, and second by the end of Stage 2.

The #5 driver led 19 laps and was toe-to-toe with Bubba Wallace through the last part of the race. However, Wallace seemed too fast for the #5 car, as he sped past the HMS driver twice in overtime, and ultimately claimed the victory, securing his seat in the playoffs.