On the clock source: indycar.com / Dave Lewandowski Increased fuel mileage associated with 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol flowing into the 3.5-liter Honda Indy V-8 engines necessitated a smaller fuel cell (from 30 to 22 gallons) to remain in concert with tire life (65 to 70 miles). The result will be a similar number of pit stops as last year's races. But there's a caveat: Because of eight fewer gallons to supply to the IndyCar Series cars through gravity-fed hoses, fueling and four tire changes will be completed at relatively the same time. Panther Racing team manager Ron Catt estimates 6.8-7.3 seconds for the stop and go based on practice. Previously, the stop was about 2 seconds longer, with the driver waiting for the fueler to complete his task and remove the probe cleanly. The projected lightning-quick sessions can make or break a race, so precision on everyone's part is essential -- every time. "It's pressure that's being felt up and down the paddock," said Catt, who oversees the crews of the Nos. 4 and 55 cars. "It's falling on the tire changers to be quicker than they have been in the past. At some tracks, races can be won in the pits. And strategy plays into it. All the more reason to be consistent and more efficient." Vision Racing driver Ed Carpenter's parts in the production are hitting his marks (stopping the front tires where the tire changers are waiting) and not leaving before getting the signal from the right-front tire changer Pat Nelson. Easy? Well, in the season opener March 24 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Carpenter must exit the variably-banked oval (traveling in excess of 210 mph), enter pit lane at the mandated 60 mph, navigate traffic, pull up next to the waiting Nelson and stop on a dime. "Before, the tire changer could make a mistake and recover and you're still waiting on fuel," Carpenter said. "Now fuel is going to be so quick. Any little mistake in the pit stop is going to be more detrimental than it has in the past. There are going to be a lot more races won due to pit stops than in the past.
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