Two teams penalized for Vegas infractions

Steve Addington, HScott Motorsports crew chief of the No. 51 was fined $25,000 after the car was found to be too light in a technical inspection after Sunday's Kobalt Tools 400, the third race of the Sprint Cup season. The infraction was ruled as a P3 violation, according to the NASCAR deterrence system, which was implemented ahead of the 2014 season.
 
Officials determined that ballast had fallen from the car during the course of the event, a violation of Section 20.3.5 in the 2015 NASCAR Rule Book. That improperly mounted ballast resulted in the car failing to meet the minimum weight requirement, a violation of Section 20.17.2.2.

In a statement released by the team, Harry Scott Jr., president and CEO of HScott Motorsports, said the organization would not appeal the penalty.

"The No. 51 experienced a malfunction during the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that resulted in a P3 infraction being assessed to the team by NASCAR," Scott said. "The issue was unintentional and we regret its occurrence. Going forward, we have implemented additional procedures to ensure that we do not have a repeat incident. We accept NASCAR's penalty and fully support its efforts to keep the sport as safe as possible for competitors, officials and fans."
 
The Penske No. 2 was pulled from its place on pit road minutes before the start of Friday's Coors Light Pole Qualifying after NASCAR officials determined that the crew had altered the fenders, flaring out the sheet metal around the rear wheel wells. Officials required the car to undergo another inspection, causing Keselowski to miss the first several minutes of the first qualifying segment.
 
Manipulation of the side skirt sheet metal -- designed to improve aerodynamics over the rear of the car -- ran rampant over the course of last season, causing NASCAR to ban the practice before the 2015 season began. Team Penske's violation was determined to be a P2 infraction under NASCAR's deterrence system.
 
As a result, Team Penske No. 2 crew chief Paul Wolfe was placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31.
 
Keselowski qualified 11th and finished seventh Sunday, marking the 200th start of his Sprint Cup career. Allgaier started 26th and finished 31st in the 43-car field.


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