DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR announced significant Xfinity Series penalties on Monday for a pair of isolated infractions.
Owner/driver of the No. 74 Chevrolet Mike Harmon was assessed an L2 penalty for violating Section 5.1.a.c.d: Vehicle testing in the NASCAR Rule Book. He’ll incur a loss of 75 owner points and 75 driver championship points, to be applied in the 2022 season. NASCAR fined crew chief Ryan Bell $50,000 and suspended him from the next six championship points events, also to begin starting in 2022.
Earlier this month, Mike Harmon Racing posted images of the No. 74 car turning laps at Rockingham Speedway. Harmon competed in one Xfinity race in 2021, finishing 39th in October at Martinsville Speedway.
Separately, NASCAR indefinitely suspended driver Caesar Bacarella for violation of Sections 12.1; 19, substance abuse policy. Bacarella competed in five Xfinity races in 2021 behind the wheel of the No. 90 Chevrolet with a best finish of 12th in the season-opener at Daytona. Bacarella also co-owns Alpha Prime Racing.
In a statement from Alpha Prime Racing, the team indicated that Bacarella unknowingly took a workout supplement that was on NASCAR’s banned substance list. The full statement is below.
A statement from General Manager @TommyJoeMartins pic.twitter.com/CXCYjT72Ii
— Alpha Prime Racing (@TeamAlphaPrime) November 22, 2021