When NASCAR discovered that Cup Series teams had altered parts from a single-source supplier for the Next Generation vehicle, it imposed the most severe penalties to date.
NASCAR gave punishments on Wednesday to five Cup Series groups – each of the four Hendrick Motorsports groups and one from Kaulig Dashing – for the unapproved change of a solitary source part.
The No. 5 team, including No. 5 driver Kyle Larson The No. 24 of William Byron The No. 48 of Alex Bowman are all Hendrick residents, and 31 of driver Justin Haley were totally punished 100 driver focuses, 100 proprietor focuses and 10 season finisher focuses.
The No. 9 of Chase Elliott, also from HMS, received 100 owner points and 10 playoff points, but no driver points because Elliott is still recovering from an injury and cannot drive the car.
In addition, each of the five team crew chiefs was fined $100,000 and suspended for four races.
The violation was identified as coming from Sections 6.1.A Time, Method, and Place; 14.1 Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules of the C&D&Q; 14.5.4.2.A Note on the Radiator Duct: Modification of a single-source vendor-supplied part (hood louvers) that has not been approved.
In the hood of each manufacturer’s vehicle, there are vents known as hood louvers that act as a release point for ducts that move air out of the radiator.
The use of vents eliminates the need for teams to tape up the car’s front grille, which had previously been extensively utilized as a performance adjustment tool.
NASCAR inspectors discovered problems with the hood louvers of all four HMS vehicles, including the No. 5 of Larson, the highest 9 of Berry, ranking No. 24 of Byron’s The Number Bowman, 48
They were given to the teams to use during practice before being taken away. Prior to Saturday’s qualifying session, the teams were permitted to change the louvers.
Additionally, prior to Cup qualifying on Saturday, NASCAR took away Kaulig’s No. 1’s hood louvers. Chevrolet 31 It was permitted for the team to take their place and participate in time trials.
For further evaluation, all of the louvers were returned to NASCAR’s Concord, North Carolina, research and development center.
NASCAR updated its penalty system for the 2022 season to include much harsher penalties for violations, including the revocation of playoff eligibility for modifying parts from single-source suppliers, in conjunction with the Next Generation car’s introduction.
First Line Motorsports, Roush Fenway Hustling and Stewart-Haas Dashing all were hit with extreme punishments last season for changing single source provided parts.
Hendrick will appeal HMS will appeal the penalties, according to a statement released by the company: During a voluntary inspection that took place on Friday at Phoenix Raceway, 35 minutes after the garage doors opened and prior to any activity on the track, NASCAR discovered louvers on our race cars. Without prior notice, NASCAR took possession of the components approximately four hours later. The circumstance made little difference to Saturday’s passing meeting or Sunday’s race.
“We have elected to appeal based on a variety of facts,” declares NASCAR, “We are disappointed with today’s decision by NASCAR to issue penalties.”
The following items were then listed by the team:
– Louvers that are provided to teams by NASCAR’s mandated single-source supplier do not match the design that was submitted by the manufacturer and approved by NASCAR. – The sanctioning body has documented inconsistent and unclear communication specifically related to louvers. – Recent comparable penalties that NASCAR has issued are related to issues that were discovered during post-race inspection.
Additionally, the organization has taken the “strategic decision” not to request a delay in the crew chief suspensions.
