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September 12, 2023

Penalty report: No. 2 RCR crew chief suspended for Xfinity Series Playoffs opener


NASCAR officials issued penalties Tuesday for lug-nut infractions in the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series from last weekend’s events at Kansas Speedway.

Foremost among those lug-nut penalties was a one-race suspension for Jeff Stankiewicz, crew chief for the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet for Xfinity playoff contender Sheldon Creed. The No. 2 Camaro was found with two unsecured lug nuts in a post-race check after Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300, resulting in the one-race ban and a $10,000 fine.

The No. 2 RCR team has tapped engineer Sam Bowers as Stankiewicz’s replacement on the entry list for Friday night’s Food City 300 (7:30 p.m. ET, USA, PRN, SiriusXM, NBC Sports App) at Bristol Motor Speedway. The event is the opening race in the Xfinity Series Playoffs.

RELATED: Weekend schedule: Bristol | Officials reinstate Gragson

Two other Chevy teams with drivers in the Xfinity postseason field were each fined $5,000 for having one unsecured lug nut each: Andy Street, crew chief of the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing group for regular season champion Austin Hill; and Shane Whitbeck, crew chief for Jordan Anderson Racing’s No. 27 and driver Jeb Burton.

In the Craftsman Truck Series, two teams outside the playoff picture were hit with L1-level penalties for infractions related to the triangular filler panels. The following teams and drivers were docked 10 points in their respective standings:

  • No. 02 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet (driver Kaden Honeycutt)
  • No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet (driver Colby Howard)

The No. 12 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet team was fined $2,500 for a single loose lug nut after Friday’s Kansas Lottery 200. That penalty was issued to Tyler Young, crew chief for the No. 12 driven by Truck Series regular Spencer Boyd.

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