NASCAR Pit Stop Performance & Strategy Data : 2025
Understanding NASCAR pit stop performance can give you a decisive edge in fantasy NASCAR, DFS contests, and sports betting. My Pit Stop Performance Tool helps you identify which NASCAR teams have the fastest Pit Crews. Pit stop performance charts and analysis are updated with the filters you apply to visualize NASCAR pit stop data, including comparisons of in-box times versus total stop times, to pinpoint crews consistently delivering fast, reliable pit stops in the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series.
Adjust the filters to get granular results.
Filter to the Data You Want
- Select Race(s) acts like a group of checkboxes. Select any combination of races. You can base them on Track Type - by choosing from Road Courses, Short Tracks, Mile and a Half, and Superspeedways.
- Filter by Pit Stop Type - All Types, 4 tires (right and left), 2 tires (right), or 2 tires (left).
- Set a Minimum Number of Starts to ensure only drivers with consistent participation are included.
- Set the Number of Stops to use. This will set the filter to use n best stops in the dataset.
When you click "Update Pit Stop Table", the data results are used to rebuild the table and redraw the charts and new insights in Visual Crew Rankings and Discover Pit Stop Gems.
Choose the drivers to show
What This Chart Shows
For each driver, you're seeing two things: GREEN BAR: How long the pit crew spent changing tires (in-box time). GRAY DOT/LINE: How long the full pit stop took including entry and exit (total time)
- A short bar and a low dot ➜ Fast crew and fast entry/exit
- A short bar but a high dot ➜ Great crew, but time lost elsewhere
- A long bar and a low-ish dot ➜ Crew was slower, but the driver made up time.
- A long bar and high dot ➜ Slow all around
This lets you figure out who's helping or hurting their own stop times.
Fantasy NASCAR Players
Goal: Pick consistent finishers with clean stops.
What to look for? Drivers with low bars and low dots.
These guys have strong pit crews and get on/off pit road clean. Pick them - they're less likely to lose spots during pit stops
A driver has one of the shortest bars and lowest dots - he's got a top-tier crew and doesn't waste time getting in or out. Great anchor pick.
DFS Players (DraftKings/FanDuel)
Goal: Pick drivers who can gain positions during the race
What to look for? Drivers with a faster pit crew than total stop time shows (Short bar but high dot) ➜ Room for improvement, might fly under the radar
Sleeper pick: great crew, but the driver might clean up the entry/exit with a better setup
Drivers with slower crew but low total stop means the team is sharp on strategy or the driver is great at minimizing pit loss
A driver's pit crew is quick, but his total stop time is slower than expected. That might be entry/exit issues. If they clean that up, he could gain big spots this week - cheap DFS play.
Sports Bettors
Goal: Evaluate execution and consistency for race-long performance
High-performing teams = Low bar + low dot ➜ More likely to finish well
Underperformers = Big gap between in-box and total ➜ Risk of penalties, poor track position, or lost time on pit road
Avoid betting on guys with: - Good crews but still high total times (could mean mistakes or setup issues) - High in-box times (crew isn't sharp right now)
A driver's average in-box time is fine, but his total stop time is off the chart. That suggests issues getting in/out of the box. I'm not touching him for a Top-10 bet.
How the Chart Helps All 3
| WHAT YOU'RE SEEING | WHAT IT MEANS | WHAT TO DO |
|---|---|---|
| Short bar + short line | Fast crew + smooth execution | Trust this driver - consistent performer |
| Short bar + long line | Crew did great, but driver lost time | Could be a buy low or bet fade, depending |
| Long bar + short line | Crew's slow, but driver/team made it work | Possibly smart strategy - worth watching |
| Long bar + long line | Bad all around | Avoid - this hurts performance and fantasy scoring |
Why is a Scatterplot Helpful Here?
The bar chart and data table show us how each driver ranks — both in terms of their overall average stop time and their pit crew's average in-box time. But the scatterplot goes a step further: it shows the relationship between these two metrics.
- X-axis: How fast the pit crew is – Avg In-Box Time (how long the crew takes changing tires)
- Y-axis: How efficient the whole stop is – Avg Total Stop Time (entire time on pit road, including entry and exit)
So what does the line mean?
The gray trend-line answers this key question:
If we know how long a team spends in the pit box, what would we expect their total stop time to be?
Now, here's what it means to be on either side of the line:
ABOVE THE LINE - Underperforming Entry/Exit
- These teams are spending more time on pit road than expected based on their in-box time.
- The pit crew may have done their job, but the entry or exit was inefficient.
- Possible issues: overshooting the stall, slow launch, or bad positioning on pit road.
Your crew did a solid job, but you gave it all away getting on or off pit road.
BELOW THE LINE - Overperforming Entry/Exit
- These teams are beating expectations – their total stop time is less than expected based on how long they were in the box.
- Even if the in-box time wasn't the fastest, the driver made up time with a sharp entry and exit.
- This is a sign of great execution and teamwork.
Crew wasn't the fastest, but you crushed the entry/exit and made up time overall.
ON THE LINE = Balanced
- These teams are doing exactly what you'd expect.
- Their total stop time closely matches their in-box time.
- Not gaining or losing much outside the pit box.
Why This Is Useful
For Fantasy NASCAR players, DFS, or bettors, the drivers below the line are your hidden gems:
- They get on/off pit road well.
- They can gain positions during cautions.
- They tend to have cleaner, more efficient stops.
On the flip side, drivers above the line are potential red flags - not because of poor pit crews, but because the team is losing time elsewhere in the stop process.