Pit Stop Challenge

The TAG Heuer Pit Stop Challenge is a pit stop contest held during activities leading up to the Indianapolis 500. Since 1977, the event has been held on Carb Day, following the final practice session. As many as twelve top teams in the field compete in a single-elimination, tournament-style competition, two teams at a time. Under the current rules format, during each heat, two cars line up side-by-side in a specially-constructed pit lane, which resembles a drag racing layout. The cars go from a standing start, and race into the pit box. Pit crews must change four tires and hook-up a dummy fuel hose to simulate a refuel. The driver races out of the pit box to cross a finish line, which is a couple hundred feet down the lane. The time is taken from the drop of the green flag to the crossing of the finish line.

Since 2013, the event has been sponsored by TAG Heuer.

Eligibility

The participants for the Pit Stop challenge are selected from the 33 drivers and teams that qualified for that year's Indianapolis 500. The bracket has varied from as few as four teams, to as many as twelve. The current qualifying procedure for the event is based on the following criteria:

• Previous winners of the Pit Stop challenge
• Preliminary pit stop time trials (conducted earlier in the week during practice days)
• One promoter's option ("provisional")

In previous years, the selection criteria was based on top qualifiers for the race, top pit crews from the previous IndyCar season, pit stop time trials, and other various criteria. A random draw is usually held to set the tournament bracker and to award some drivers a first-round bye.

Past winners

Statistics

Most victories – Team

• Penske Racing: 16
• Galles Racing: 6

Most victories – Driver

• Helio Castroneves: 8
• Danny Sullivan: 4

Most victories – Chief mechanic

• Owen Snyder: 3
• Chuck Sprague: 3
• Rick Rinaman: 3

Won Pit Stop Challenge and Indianapolis 500 in the Same year

• 1981: Bobby Unser, Penske Racing
• 1985: Danny Sullivan, Penske Racing
• 1995: Jacques Villeneuve, Forsythe Green Racing
• 2002: Helio Castroneves, Penske Racing
• 2004: Buddy Rice, Rahal Letterman Racing
• 2009: Helio Castroneves, Penske Racing

History

Since its inception, the event has been held on Carb Day, the day in which the final practice session is held for the Indianapolis 500. From 1977-2004, the event was held on the Thursday before the Indy 500. Starting in 2005, Carb Day was moved to Friday, and the event moved to Friday along with the Freedom 100.

In 2008, the event was cancelled due to rain, and the posted prize money was donated to charity.

Previous event sponsors include Miller (1977–1995), Coors (1996–2002), Checkers/Rally's (2003–2007), McDonald's (2008), Izod (2010-2012).

During the 1980s and 1990s, this contest was held alongside a second official pit stop competition. During the actual race itself, each team that completed the race was timed for all of their routine pit stops. The team that accrued the shortest elapsed time for all pit stops combined won a cash prize and/or a substantial prize package of hand tools, etc.

Broadcasting

Television coverage of the first contest appeared on ABC's Wide World of Sports. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, ABC would show highlights of the contest during the race broadcast on Sunday during down times. From 1995-2007, coverage was shown live or same-day tape on ESPN/ESPN2. Since 2009, coverage has been live on Versus/NBC Sports Network.

References

• 2011 Indianapolis 500 Media Guide