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Monday’s Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400 at Pocono Raceway had an unfortunate turn for the No. 2 Team Penske car when NASCAR penalized the team for unapproved body modifications during the first round of pit stops.
The incident happened on Lap 25 when the team’s jackman went to pull the right rear tire. During the stop, the jackman’s right leg got into the body of the car, causing what NASCAR said was an “unapproved body modification.”
If you can remember back a few weeks, NASCAR called the same penalty on the No. 1 car’s jackman.
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From a pit crew’s perspective, it’s a tight line to walk during a pit stop. Most jackmen are 6-3 to 6-5 and weigh between 235-260 pounds. When a jackman posts the right side and then dives into the right rear to pull a tire, occasionally his body will make contact with the car.
Here lies the problem — intent doesn’t matter. Accident or not, making any body modification to that part of the car can help a car’s aerodynamics, especially at a track like Pocono.
In this case, NASCAR deemed that the body modification produced an unfair advantage, and a penalty was assessed.
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