Tech Talk: Debate over lug nuts continues

The 2015 season is the first that officials aren't keeping tabs on how many lug nuts are going on wheels, and the initial reaction to the news earlier this season was something between "not a big deal" and "it'll be a disaster."

Thus far it's trending more toward the former.

Although officials are no longer peering over tire changers' shoulders during stops, there's still the threat of a P3 level penalty should a tire come off due to loose or missing lug nuts.

"I think we all were a little worried when NASCAR said we were going to have to police it because that's just a big change from the norm and what we've done in the past," Earnhardt said after his third-place finish at TMS.

The bigger concern is the danger -- "the corner speeds are 18 miles an hour faster at (Las) Vegas ... in the middle of the corner," he said. "And if you lose a wheel going that fast, it's not going to be very good."

The general consensus was that teams wouldn't intentionally shortchange their driver, unless the race was on a track where speeds aren't as fast, or perhaps when pitting with only a handful of laps remaining.

In the cases of those at TMS, it appears the incidents weren't intentional."

Race winning crew chief Chad Knaus said there are "definitely teams out there that aren't hitting all five lug nuts" and the former over-the-wall crewman should know -- "we work from a conservative standpoint and we go after four," he acknowledged.

It's Knaus' contention that NASCAR officials shouldn't be in the business of counting lug nuts.

"That's not their job," he said. "They shouldn't be telling us how much camber to run. They shouldn't be telling us anything like that. They should just be focusing on what's within the guidelines and what isn't."

TMS Penalty Breakdown

A season-low 14 penalties were handed down during the NSCS race at Texas, including the first two of the season for commitment line violations. Former series champion Brad Keselowski had to go to the end of the lead-lap cars after the Team Penske driver crossed the commitment line, then darted back out onto the track on Lap 266. He had been running inside the top 10 when the violation occurred.

HScott Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier was also penalized for a similar infraction on Lap 33.

MORE: Keselowski hits the commitment cone

There were no penalties for uncontrolled tire violations at Texas, two weeks after six teams were penalized for the infraction at Martinsville.

A No-Tire Stop For NASCAR

After obtaining tires for further inspection following races at Las Vegas, Phoenix, Auto Club Speedway and Martinsville, NASCAR officials took no tires from competitors following Saturday night's Duck Commander 500.

The Richard Childress Racing team was hit with stiff penalties for illegally altering the air pressures during the Auto Club race. Driver Ryan Newman was docked 75 points and crew chief Luke Lambert was fined $125,000 and suspended for six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points races.

RCR officials have appealed the penalties and a hearing is scheduled for Thursday, April 16.

Cars taken back to the NASCAR Research and Development Center from the Texas race were those of winner Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick (2nd), Carl Edwards (10th) and Clint Bowyer (22nd).

No. 4 car chief Robert "Cheddar" Smith reminded crew chief Rodney Childers that their Chevrolet SS is becoming a frequent visitor at the R&D center.

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