[SamAdams76]

Another thing I don't get is when cars go in for pit stops. How is it that when they get back out on the race track, they are still in the race. You would think that the cars have already done at least a full lap during the time they were in the pit stop and they'd be automatically in last place or pretty much close to it. (I'm guessing it's because the other cars need to make pit stops too and it all comes out in the wash.)

[CAfraudPI]

All cars have to pit at some point...it all comes out in the wash.

[#3Fan]

Another thing I don't get is when cars go in for pit stops. How is it that when they get back out on the race track, they are still in the race. You would think that the cars have already done at least a full lap during the time they were in the pit stop and they'd be automatically in last place or pretty much close to it. (I'm guessing it's because the other cars need to make pit stops too and it all comes out in the wash.)

If there is a caution and many cars pit, then the line at the end of pit road decides how cars line up for the restart behind any cars that did not pit on the lead lap. If a car pits on a green flag, then indeed that car will be nearly a lap down or over a lap down to the other cars that did not pit until the rest of the cars pit and they are brought together again. If a car pits on a green before the other cars pit and loses a lap and and there is a caution before the other cars pit, then it's disaster because the other cars will be able to pit on yellow and not lose a lap and the only way to get laps back is to pass the leader and hope for another yellow. You saw this in Daytona when Dale Jr. had to spend two green flag laps replacing a battery. When there was a caution, he was able to line up on the inside of the leader because he wasn't on the lead lap, he was still 2 laps down. He was able to pass the leader to get one lap back on the next yellow, but since the race was rained out, he was not able to continue to try to get back on the lead lap and finished in the 30s even though he was arguably the fastest car.