In an effort to make pit road safer, NASCAR will adopt in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series the self-venting fuel can currently used in the Camping World Truck Series, which will eliminate the need for a catch can in 2011.

At Goodyear’s tire test at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton revealed that the change will debut at Speedweeks in 2011.

The new system eliminates the need for a seventh over-the-wall pit crew member who held the catchcan to catch the fuel that might spill from the vent on the back of the car.

Pemberton said:

Over our three national series, we’ll run a fueling system that will eliminate the catch-can guy [because] it fuels and vents all in one process. It’s what the trucks have used, successfully.

 In addition to eliminating the extra crewman, the use of E-15 ethanol factored into the decision.

Pemberton pointed out:

It better enables us to keep a control on the open container of fuel. Because with the E-15 you want to make sure you never get any moisture introduced into that and this better helps that.