Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Fewer lug nuts 'freaks me out'

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Until last year, it was a NASCAR violation for any car to leave the pits with a missing lug nut. If an official spotted the infraction, the car was required to return for another pit stop and correct the problem.

But that rule disappeared along with many of NASCAR’s officials as part of staffing cuts, and now drivers often leave the pits with only four — sometimes three — lug nuts on their wheels. After all, putting fewer than five lug nuts on the wheel saves time.

If you ask Dale Earnhardt Jr., that’s an unsettling thought.

“It freaks me out,” Earnhardt said Friday. “I was blown away that NASCAR quit officiating that aspect (of pit stops). I could not believe that was the choice that they made. But that is the world we live in.

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“There are not enough officials today to revert, so it’s a knot that can’t be retied. We will just have to try to do the best we can as drivers not to end up in the fence.”

Putting fewer lug nuts on the wheel or failing to tighten them all the way puts drivers at increased risk because the wheel could fly off. And if that happens, a hard collision with the wall is likely next.

The missing lug nuts trend has been ongoing for at least a year but got more attention last week during FOX's coverage of the Texas Motor Speedway race.

Earnhardt, who has had several concussions, has concerns about sustaining more unnecessary hits.

“I wish I could not care when the wheels are shaking, but you do,” he said. “I’ve had a few come off and it never ends well. … It just really delays the ability to run well and can hinder the results of the races.”

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When he senses a loose wheel, Earnhardt acknowledged he has a tendency to “get really upset about it.” Sometimes a wheel can be loose and stay on for a long period of time; other times, a slight shake can suddenly end up in a wheel coming off.

So there’s no way to know when it will come off, Earnhardt said — nor does the driver understand what made it loose.

“There is no real way to understand exactly what you are dealing with when it happens,” he said. “You don’t know whether they tried to put five (lug nuts) on and only got four or they tried to put four on and only got three or if they only got one. You don’t know.”

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