NASCAR officials issued penalties to multiple teams on Wednesday after last weekend’s races at Homestead-Miami Speedway, including two in the Xfinity Series that carried with them suspensions. Also included in this week’s report were an L1-level points penalty in Craftsman Trucks and a fine to Cup Series driver Ryan Newman.
One of those penalties in the Xfinity Series affected playoff-eligible driver Austin Hill and the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team, which was found with two unfastened lug nuts on the left-front wheel after a fourth-place finish in Saturday’s Contender Boats 300. The violation of Section 8.8.10.4a in the NASCAR Rule Book resulted in a one-race suspension and a $10,000 fine for No. 21 crew chief Andy Street. Mike Shiplett will fill in as the No. 21’s crew chief this week.
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Hill, the Xfinity Series’ Regular Season Champion, will be vying for one of the three remaining spots in the Championship 4 field in Saturday’s Dead On Tools 250 (3:30 p.m. ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) at Martinsville Speedway. Hill currently ranks fourth among the eight remaining title-eligible drivers, holding a three-point edge over the elimination line.
In the Cup Series, Ryan Newman, the driver of the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford, was fined $10,000 for a safety violation for removing the head sock, which comes under Sections 8.3.2 A; 14.2.1.1 A & F of the Rule Book. Newman finished 26th in Sunday’s 4Ever 400 Presented by Mobil 1.
In the Truck Series, the No. 98 ThorSport Racing team of Ty Majeski was hit with an L1-level penalty for violating Sections 14.14.1.C of the Rule Book having to do with the front suspension. That penalty resulted in a 10-point loss for the team and the driver. Majeski finished ninth in Saturday’s Baptist Health Cancer Care 200.
Competition officials also suspended crew members Taylor Collier and Dale Hollifield from the No. 74 Xfinity team of Dawson Cram for the next two events for loss of an improperly secured tire at Homestead. Cram finished 36th in the CHK Racing Chevrolet on Saturday.
And crew chief Jason Ratcliff of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team was fined $5,000 for a single unsecured lug found in Saturday’s post-race check. Joe Graf Jr. drove the Toyota to a 10th-place finish.
Also in the Truck Series, the Nos. 15 and 17 teams of Tanner Gray and Taylor Gray of Tricon Garage were each cited for one lug nut not being secure in post-race inspection. Crew chiefs Jerame Donley and Jacob Hampton were each fined $2,500. Tanner Gray finished 11th while Taylor Gray was 13th in Saturday’s Truck race.
The No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford was disqualified in post-race inspection after Saturday’s Truck Series event for an infraction involving the windshield supports, but no further sanctions were issued Wednesday. Front Row Motorsports did not appeal the penalty.