Ever wonder how those NASCAR guys can get the lug nuts on so quick?

Well I have been a mechanic my whole life....so I know the ins and outs of tools etc. etc...I always wondered how they get on those lug nuts so fast in pit stops....I knew it had to be something with the socket......Well, my nephew started pitting for NASCAR in all 4 series......ARCA, Truck, XFINITY, and Cup.....He went to school for it....Yeah, they actually have a pit school.......Anyway, they glue the lug nuts to the wheels ahead of time which most everybody knows......They are hexagon lug nuts (six sided for us non math people) .......But take a look at the socket they use......not hex shaped like a 6 point......or even 12 point.......which would get on quicker......look at the shape it is like a flower.....it can find the lug nut in any position...except if you would hit point to point.......now yes, there is tons of slop on the nut but as long as it catches on the high spots it will tighten.....And they use new lug nuts every time so even though it is hard on the points of the hex nuts as long as they tighten and loosen one time, that is all they need....I thought that was interesting.....I got this shot of their socket when a lug nut stood up on end and ruined a pit stop.....

Just an extreme version of the "flank drive" design, oh call it misalignment grace, not "slop"................

I thought most pit guys were ex SEC college football players who didnt make the pros. Big guys, fast...smart (well, smart enough) team players!

And their impacts are run on nitrogen at high pressure.

toolmanmike said:

And their impacts are run on nitrogen at high pressure.

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I didn't know that....I will pick his brain more when I see him in the off season over the winter

I get the special socket gimmick but I don't get the lug nut glued to the wheel gimmick, as soon as the first lug is spun on it should spit the other 4 lugs off the wheel if they are just glued to the wheel. There has to be more to it.

daliant said:

I get the special socket gimmick but I don't get the lug nut glued to the wheel gimmick, as soon as the first lug is spun on it should spit the other 4 lugs off the wheel if they are just glued to the wheel. There has to be more to it.

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Each lug nut is glued to the wheel stud opening. These are special long studs that allow the first one to be tightened without the others being knocked off the adjacent studs when they are popped off the glue to the wheel.

The outer part of the stud has no threads and a ball end that it retains the lug so that it is ready to be spun on.

Yeah they toss the wheel and tire about like it weighs nothing too. That's because it does weigh nothing compared to those we handle.
A couple weeks ago I heard a news report about a record breaking infield homerun, 13.45 seconds if my memory serves. My first thought... Still slower than a NASCAR pit stop. 4 tires and gas and still beat a base runner to home plate? LOL

Ddaddy said:

Each lug nut is glued to the wheel stud opening. These are special long studs that allow the first one to be tightened without the others being knocked off the adjacent studs when they are popped off the glue to the wheel.

The outer part of the stud has no threads and a ball end that it retains the lug so that it is ready to be spun on.

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Like these:

Very cool indeed @bbrroowwnn , your son has fast hands and feet to get this job, my son won the Bristol challeng (Tire change) 2 years ago and was put up on the big screen, they took his name and address, being un married and a gear head his self, racing dirt tracks and building his own chassis, he has 3 chassis in the top ten in points this year. Congratulations