Height infraction at Charlotte results in P2-level penalty
RELATED: NASCAR Official Release
NASCAR delivered P2-class penalties Tuesday to the JR Motorsports No. 00 Chevrolet team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for a ride-height violation discovered after the team's victory last Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Kasey Kahne edged rookie Erik Jones by .005 seconds in a photo finish, posting the first win for the JRM truck team co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. But NASCAR officials said the No. 00 truck failed the post-race inspection, measuring too low on both sides in the front and too high on the right-rear corner. The inspection results caused Earnhardt to tweet "so the left-rear was good."
As a result of the infraction, NASCAR fined crew chief Joe Shear Jr. $6,000 and placed him on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31. Competition officials also deducted 10 points from Earnhardt in the team owner standings.
NASCAR eliminated rules restricting ride heights in the Sprint Cup Series ahead of the 2014 season, but those mandated limits remain in place for NASCAR's other two national tours -- the XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series.
MORE: Kahne wins thriller; truck fails inspection | Watch final laps
Kahne started at the rear of the field after the JRM team made an unapproved shock change before the North Carolina Education Lottery 200. NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell said in a Monday appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that all factors, including on-track wear and tear, would be considered in Tuesday's meeting of competition officials at the sanctioning body's Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina.
"Every car or truck will have to pass pre-race inspection, so that's something that there's a balance there at the end of the race to make sure certain components aren't being manipulated, and that's our job to look at, but there's also cases where some pieces legitimately break," O'Donnell said. "These vehicles are out there running high 190s to 200 miles per hour, lots of contact especially when you talk truck racing. That's something that we take into consideration when we're evaluating all the vehicles post-race."
The Camping World Truck Series' next event is scheduled for May 29 at Dover International Speedway.