NASCAR has announced that its Nationwide Series will institute crew member limits similar to those put in place for the Camping World Truck Series utilized last season. Teams will be limited to 15 crew members for each event, including the driver, crew chief, spotter and seven over-the-wall team members each race weekend throughout the season. Teams also will not be required to provide a scorer.
"The crew limits are a direct result of the continuing dialogue we have with our series owners to reduce at-track costs," series director Joe Balash said. "The program was successful in the Truck Series and we anticipate that same result."
Another change involves the sealed-engine rule. This year, a team will run no more than two consecutive races without using an engine previously sealed by NASCAR officials. This excludes events at Daytona and Talladega. Last year, teams were to run no more than three consecutive races without using a sealed engine.