[Jeff Foster]

You can arm AutoStart at any time the scoreboards are set for the next pair. But if anyone walks through or burnouts are done through the beams your all messed up.
The standard is to activate once you have 2 pre-stage lights that way everyone is set end the start line is clear and safe.
You can de-activate (turn off) or over ride at any time till the first amber fires.
To over ride in the situation as described 1 car cant make it to the line you leave it activated untill the good car gets staged then you turn off and imeditlly turn it back on as one motion of the switch.
If you just turn it off the tower must reset the pair before anything can happen.

Rick Stewarts arm movement is just that arm movement. He activates it at 2 pre-stage. If starter dose overide it is printed on the slip and tower log.
If he waits to 4 lights is says that on the prints.

In the GA situation Rick waited to till Greg was pre-staged acctually waited 2.5 extra seconds so GA had 9.5 seconds to stage.

GAs team had a missunderstanding on what to do. They have all the time in the world to pre-stage if some one light 2 bulbs before you stage. But you need to be ready when you pre-stage to go the rest of the way in asap, at 3 lights you have 7 seconds in Pros or 10 seconds in Sportsman.