b'until it reaches its assigned pit box. Thats when the system really goes NASCAR TURNS TO AUTOMATEDto work.The infractions that were previously called by the officials are now called SOLUTION TO INCREASEdirectly by the computer. Through a detailed pre-race laser mapping of pit road, the system knows ACCURACY OF RACE OFFICIATING the exact dimensions of the pit boxes and vehicles. Based on the real-time video provided by the cameras, it is capable of identifying infractions of rules that govern things from how many pit boxes a driver is allowed to drive through, to the timing of when a crew member can first jump over the pit wall.BY JOSH HAMILTON, SENIOR MANAGER OF RACING COMMUNICATIONS, NASCARUnlike other sports instant replay systems, our pit road technology actually Imagine standing in the middle of a road with 40 cars roaring right at youmakes the call if an infraction occurred or not and alerts us, ODonnell at 55 miles per hour.said. Our officials then verify each call before a penalty is assessed.Now add the responsibility of identifying a specific car, following its pathWe like maintaining the human element because every circumstance is towards you as it screeches to a halt a mere few feet away, and monitoringdifferent, and we always want to err on the side of caution. If a driver drives for more than a dozen potential rule infractions, all while a world-class pitthrough too many pit boxes, but its done to avoid contact with a car or crew crew changes four tires and adds 18 gallons of fuel to the car in undermember, were going to overrule the computer and not issue a penalty.13 seconds.Inadditiontotheaccuracyandsafetybenefits,theautomationalso How can you ensure that even the best-trained officials make the right callhas strengthened NASCARs integrity with fans and competitors. After every time? each pit stop, the video is clipped and immediately available to NASCAR officials, crew chiefs, and the race broadcaster.This was the quandary NASCAR officials found themselves in as they were reviewing ways to improve. In the past, we would have to wait until after the race to review pit road replays with teams and media and explain our decisions, ODonnell said. We are always looking to incorporate more technology into the sport,With the automated system, teams and fans watching on TV have instant said NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Developmentaccess to the videos. Its easy to quash any complaints when you can just 45HDOfficer Steve ODonnell. When we were looking at pit road, we wanted topoint to the video.identify a solution that could improve the accuracy of our officiating while creating a safer environment for drivers, crew members, and officials. With automated officiating well underway, one might look to autonomous CAMERAS vehicles as the next evolution of NASCAR.NASCAR turned to U.K.-based Hawkeye Solutions, the group behind the instant replay technology used in professional tennis. The two collaboratedOur drivers are our superstars, ODonnell said. We have 40 world-class to build an automated system to monitor all cars on pit road, allowing forathletesthe best drivers in the worldracing side-by-side at speeds the removal of officials from potential harms way. up to 200 mph, week-in and week-out. NASCAR was founded on the principle of the best driver out-running his or her fellow competitors, and The pit road technology, first used in 2015, uses 45 HD cameras and athats not something that is ever going to change. 9,630 mind-blowing 9,630 Gflops of processing power across 30 servers, nine million times more than the last space shuttle launch.GFLOPS The cameras are spread out above the grandstands and pointed towards pit road. Each camera points at two pit boxes, with each box seen byThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the two different cameras, creating a natural overlap along the length of pitsanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. road. A complex network of fiber-optic cables sends the data from eachNASCAR consists of three national series (Monster Energy NASCAR Cup camera to the Pit Road Officiating (PRO) Trailer located on-site in theSeries, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck NASCAR Technology Center. Series), three regional series, one local grassroots series, three international series, and the Automobile Racing Club of America 30 As soon as a car enters pit road, the first camera identifies it through(ARCA). The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions itsuniquetranspondercodeandsendsthedatatothePROTrailer,more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. For more information, visit www.NASCAR.com SERVERS ODonnell said. The car is passed down the line from camera to cameraand www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (NASCAR).7'