MSR owner Michael Shank sends clear message for IndyCar to follow NASCAR's pit crew model

Meyer Shank Racing owner Michael Shank has suggested a move away from the IndyCar protocol of crew members handling the service of cars during races, i.e. pit stops. He's considering a move to NASCAR-style pit stops where professional athletes are flown in for every race to do the car servicing.

Unlike in F1, where typically 20-23 pit crew stand by for a pitstop, where three pit crew members are available to change a single tire, IndyCar only has one person per tire and 6-7 people for the entire servicing. One jacks the cars; another puts the fuel in; four are there for the tires, and one for other changes.

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These 6-7 people service two cars (in MSR’s case) and are also responsible for working on the cars off the track.

Michael Shank pointed out how the Pit crew gets tired and the efficiency drops, which is why he wants to fly in a professional pit crew (via the Racer):

“A thing that I think is coming is professional pit crews. It’s trying to creep in. Now I’m trying to figure out ways to pay for it. As an example, instead of paying a driver all the money you have left, maybe some of that budget could go towards a pro-spec pit crew that come in.

“I think that’s definitely on its way in, and we’re talking about D1, D2, D3 athletes that are super competitive and make a decent living doing other things but also come in on the weekends. But we’re not there yet though. We’re looking at it. There’s already teams doing a couple of positions that way, but not all of them. But I think it’s going more in that direction over the next year or two.”

However, Most IndyCar pit stops take about eight seconds, while tire changing takes just over four seconds. It's the fuel line that's disconnected the last, so the need for a faster pit crew was questioned by Marshall Pruett.

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Michael Shank’s “short fills” argument that supports the professional pit crew in IndyCar idea

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It takes about 7-8 seconds to fill an IndyCar fuel tank during a pitstop. However, many teams opt for just a top-up where the fuel is out for the duration when the tires are being changed. That gives a strategic advantage against those on older tires and heavier fuel loads.

Michael Shank supported this argument as he said:

“Short fills are one thing, and also, when the cars on the ground, it fuels quicker. Now, we’re talking slight improvements, like half-a-tenth here, but gravity is our king, right?

"The quicker the tires are done and the car is on the ground, the quicker the fuel goes, so you want every opportunity to make up a tenth or two and beat you out by a nose. If you can do that, then the whole effort put in to hiring these type of guys worked, as far as I’m concerned.”

Shank when questioned about the economics of flying in a professional crew, presented the idea of not giving drivers the remaining budget after expenses and taking a small percentage out for the pit crew.