Two L1-level penalties were handed to Stewart-Haas Racing following the NASCAR Cup Series weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
NASCAR confiscated the roof rails of Noah Gragson (No. 10 Ford) and Ryan Preece’s (No. 41 Ford) race cars during pre-race inspection. The series docked both teams 35 driver and owner points.
Per the NASCAR Rule Book, roof air deflectors must consist of parts outlined in Section 14.5.6.1.a. Additionally, they must meet the following criteria: be constructed of 0.05-inch thick aluminum; be installed perpendicular in the applicable slots; must not interfere with the functioning of the roof flaps; and must be painted.
“It’s a team part, but it has to meet the CAD drawing,” NASCAR Senior VP of Competition Elton Sawyer said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday. “And in this case, it didn’t meet that.”
The penalty now pins both drivers deep in the driver’s standings, with Preece entering the third week of the regular season with zero points and Gragson with negative six.
Team Penske’s Joey Logano was also fined $10,000 for modifying his left SFI-approved glove. Section 14.3.1.1 (“Driver Protective Clothing/Equipment”) in the NASCAR Rule Book requires protective gloves meet SFI-approved specifications.
Logano was sent to the rear of the field after qualifying second for the Ambetter Health 400. The driver of the No. 22 Ford was also assessed a pass-through penalty after the green flag waved.
“What happened at the race track and the way it was handled was strictly based on performance and using that device,” Sawyer said on SiriusXM. “Now, altering an SFI-certified safety piece of apparel, that’s a different topic.”
Logano’s left-hand glove was modified with webbing between the thumb and index finger, adding an advantage during superspeedway qualifying to reduce air from coming in the driver’s side window.
Per SFI specifications, “gloves shall have separate sections for each finger and thumb.”
The NASCAR Xfinity Series also had various penalties.
At the conclusion of the Xfinity Series race at Atlanta, Ryan Truex, driver of the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, had a lugnut unsecured on his race car. That resulted in a $5,000 fine for Truex’s crew chief, Seth Chavka.
SS GreenLight Racing crew chief Jason Miller was also suspended for the next two Xfinity Series races (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway). After the Xfinity Series race, Miller, crew chief for J.J. Yeley, confronted driver Kyle Weatherman and the altercation became physical, which was a violation of Section 4.4.D of the Xfinity Series Rule Book, which specifies “member-to-member confrontation(s) with physical violence (e.g. striking another competitor).”