Josh Berry’s victory in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Las Vegas was without a doubt the primary storyline, and rightfully so, as it was the driver’s first Cup victory for the legendary Wood Brothers team in the 75th anniversary of the firm. Loose wheels were another major story out of Sin City. Chase Briscoe was the first to experience it. Kyle Busch experienced the same problem. Both vehicles were subject to two-lap penalty. Christopher Bell, a teammate of Briscoe’s at Joe Gibbs Racing, also experienced a loose wheel, but thanks to crew chief Adam Stevens’ prompt decision, the No. 20 team pulled into Briscoe’s pit box farther down pit road and had the wheel tightened.
Instead of being held for two laps and facing the suspension of the two pit crew members for the No. 19 and 8 cars, he was penalized for pitting outside of his pit box and sent to the back of the pack. During his weekly interview on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday, Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran was questioned regarding the loose wheels. He was also informed about Rodney Childers’ remarks from Monday, which implied that there might be some problems with the wheel weights coming off. “Yes,” Moran acknowledged, “we have been talking with the teams.” We’ve seen a couple in the last two weeks, which is kind of strange. Two were then spotted on the track.
“We don’t like it at all. It dates back to 2022, a few years ago, when we were experiencing some problems. However, as an industry, we collaborated and overcame that. And for some reason, we seem to be involved in something. I’ve been talking about it with many of the managers and crew leaders. Furthermore, I wouldn’t say that the wheel weight was the cause right away. We are aware that it did occur once, but once more, I believe that timing is crucial, as is attempting to complete as much as possible in the smallest amount of time. You push it to the limit once more, and regrettably, if that car hits the ground before that nut’s tight, we’ve had this problem.”
Jeff Cordero, who is currently the front tire changer for two-time Daytona 500 winner William Byron and won a Cup championship while working for Kyle Busch, concurs. “This year’s first race with a lot of pit stops was Vegas,” he remarked. For a pit crew, it’s the first genuine chance of the year to demonstrate the pace they’ve been practicing throughout the winter. Guys are trying to acquire as much as they can because it’s the first race with pit-friendly setups and they know that they must move quickly or risk being passed. Anything to get an advantage.
