F1 v IndyCar v NASCAR: How do pit-stops compare in each of the three racing series?

Hours and hours of practice goes into perfecting pit-stops, but different rules for F1 compared to other series means ideal times differ.

While having the fastest car out there on the track is of course key to success in any racing category, equally so is the ability to make best use of it with the perfect strategy to get the win, or squeeze the very most out of what the team’s challenger is capable of.

F1 v IndyCar v NASCAR: Pit stops compared

In the world of Formula 1, pit-stop times have dropped drastically ever since refuelling was banned at the end of the 2009 campaign to cut costs and make the series safer, meaning the focus of a regular pit-stop now is to get the four tyres swapped over as quickly as possible.

But, how do the pit-stop times which the Formula 1 mechanics pull off compare to some of the other iconic racing categories?

Well, with Formula 1 becoming so popular in the United States these days, let’s see how the F1 pit-stop times stack up against the ones in the nation’s NASCAR and IndyCar series.

F1 pit stops

• Average pit stop time: 2.5 seconds
• Average pit stops per race: One or two
• Number of mechanics involved: Up to 22
• Refuelling allowed?: No
• Fastest ever pit stop: 1.8 seconds (McLaren; 2023 Qatar Grand Prix)

Formula 1 pit stops are some of the fastest in the world thanks to several factors.

First and foremost, refuelling has been banned since 2010, which naturally cuts down on the time required in the box. Plus, F1 allows a up to 22 mechanics to service a car at any one time — including three mechanics per tyre!

As a front and rear jackman lift the car up, those three mechanics descend on their specific tyre. One mechanic is in charge of operating the wheel gun; one is responsible for removing the tyre once it has been loosened; and another is responsible for placing the new tyre on.

The pit-stop record in F1 stands at a 1.80 seconds, performed by the McLaren crew on Lando Norris’ car during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix. Typically, pit stops in F1 take around 2.5 seconds, which should show just how impressive this record is!

Plus, stops were slowed slightly with the arrival of larger, heavier 18-inch wheels in Formula 1 in 2022, making it harder for mechanics to achieve optimum times. Again, McLaren’s ability to set a new record in the sport shows just how efficient the crew has become.

Pit stops in F1 utilize the same mechanics between both cars.

IndyCar pit stops

• Average pit stop time: 6 to 10 seconds
• Average pit stops per race: 5 to 10 pit stops
• Number of mechanics involved: 7
• Refuelling allowed?: Yes
• Fastest ever pit stop: 4.6 seconds (Team Penske, 2025 Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge)

IndyCar’s rules only permit seven mechanics to service a car during a race. There are four mechanics changing tyres — one mechanic per tyre — while the remaining three mechanics use the jack, clean the aeroscreen, refuel the car, and make any necessary tweaks to the wings.

Average stops are somewhere between six to 10 seconds, with most stops taking place in the seven-second range.

But the record pit stop times aren’t actually set during the race! On Carb Day at the Indy 500, teams can enter a Pit Stop Challenge, a single-elimination competition run over several rounds where crews change all four tyres and simulate refuelling their car. The fastest stop determines the winner.

No team is more successful in the pit stop challenge than Team Penske; the crew for the No. 2 of Josef Newgarden took victory once again at the 2025 Indy 500, setting an all-time pit stop record of just 4.6 seconds!

Each IndyCar team features its own pit stop mechanics.

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NASCAR pit stops

• Average pit stop time: 10.5 seconds
• Average pit stops per race: 4 to 12
• Number of mechanics involved: 5
• Refuelling allowed?: Yes
• Fastest ever pit stop: 8.29 seconds (Spire Motorsports at 2024 Homestead fall race)

IndyCar’s seven-second pit-stop might seem long, but that’s nothing compared to NASCAR! These stock cars need a little bit more time before they can be ushered out of their box on a stop.

Pit crews in NASCAR are limited to 17 mechanics, but only five are allowed to “go over the wall” to service a car during a pit stop. “Going over the wall” is exactly what it sounds like: Crew members must wait behind pit wall until their car has come to a complete stop. Only then can they leap over and begin service.

Of the five people servicing a NASCAR car, one acts as a jackman, one carries the tyres, one fills up the car with fuel, and two do the actual tyre change.

Cars are serviced two tyres at a time, starting with the “outside” tyres (or, those facing the track) before the crew swings around to the “inside” to change those tyres. When the tyre changers remove a tyre, they roll it back to pit wall, where other crew members reach over and pull the tyre back into the pits.

Teams are heavily penalized if additional personnel jump over the wall — and that includes doing something as minor as a crew member losing his balance and touching the pavement of the pit box as he reaches for the tyre!

Teams will also be penalized if they lose control of a tyre during the stop.

Stops have gotten extremely quick in the modern era of NASCAR; the Gen 7 cars, also known as the “Next-Gen” cars, got rid of the traditional five-lug nut format that required mechanics to individually remove all five lugs. Instead, that lug has been replaced by one center wheel nut, shaving off even more time.

Each NASCAR team features its own pit stop mechanics, many of whom are former college athletes who are used to the physical rigors of sport.

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