The following are team press releases previewing the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET, Sunday, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM).
Joe Gibbs Racing:
Kyle Busch | Team preview
Carl Edwards | Team preview
Stewart-Haas Racing:
Kevin Harvick | Team preview
Kurt Busch | Team preview
Hendrick Motorsports:
Jeff Gordon | Team preview
PHILADELPHIA (Nov. 4, 2015) — Comcast announced Wednesday three finalists selected for the inaugural Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award. As part of its long-term partnership with NASCAR, Comcast created the award to honor NASCAR team members for their outstanding charitable endeavors. The 2015 finalists include an individual from each of the top-three national NASCAR series: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 78 Chevrolet SS, for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; Joey Gase, driver of the No. 52 Ford Mustang, for the NASCAR XFINITY Series; and Martha Nemechek, whose son and grandson, Joe and John Hunter Nemechek, currently compete in the NASCAR ranks, for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
“Comcast works hard to make a positive impact in the local communities where our employees and customers live and work, and that philosophy is now embedded into our partnership with NASCAR,” said Matt Lederer, Executive Director of Sports Marketing at Comcast. “We are proud to have Martin Truex Jr., Joey Gase and Martha Nemechek as finalists for the inaugural Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award. They embody the spirit of the award through their dedication to community service and we look forward to highlighting their causes through the award process.”
The 2015 Comcast Community Champion of the Year will be determined by a panel comprised of executives from Comcast and The NASCAR Foundation, as well as former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and NASCAR.com reporter Holly Cain. In recognition of their efforts, Comcast will make a donation of $60,000 to the Comcast Community Champion of the Year’s affiliated charitable organization. A $30,000 contribution will also be made to each of the remaining finalists’ charitable organizations.
“Recognizing individuals who are championing a cause or making an impact on their community is something extremely close to my heart,” said Holly Cain. “I have no doubt that the people ultimately bestowed with the Comcast Community Champion of the Year award will be lifted by the prestige of the honor.”
“Comcast has done a great job of coming in and viewing the sport in its totality. Not just what they can get out of it, but what they can give back to it and how they become a part of the fabric of NASCAR,” Kyle Petty added. “I think that’s what the Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award encompasses — the giving spirit that has always been a big part of NASCAR.”
The winner will be named at the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Banquet on November 23 at the Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood, Florida, which will air on NBC Sports Network at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 29.
Comcast has a long track record of community service, aiding in the advancement of local organizations, developing programs and partnerships, mobilizing resources to connect people and inspiring positive and substantive change. To learn more about the Comcast Community Champion of the Year award, as well as the finalists, please visit: ComcastCommunityChampion.com.
The 2015 Comcast Community Champion of the Year finalists are:
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:
Martin Truex Jr. (Mayetta, New Jersey) and long-time girlfriend Sherry Pollex launched the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation in 2007 with the goal of raising funds and awareness for children suffering from poverty, abuse and illness — specifically pediatric cancers. The foundation continued to grow over the next eight years, providing significant assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and building a pediatric emergency care center in Truex’s home state of New Jersey. In August 2014, Pollex was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. Through this experience, the couple was inspired to expand their fundraising efforts and change the foundation’s mission to include a range of underfunded cancer initiatives specific to childhood and ovarian cancers. In 2015, the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation began a three-year partnership with Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina to assist in finding breakthrough treatments specific to pediatric cancers. Every day, Truex sports a bracelet encompassing his personal motto as well as the Foundation’s inspiration: Never Give Up.
NASCAR XFINITY Series:
Joey Gase (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) lost his mother Mary Jo to a brain aneurysm when he was just 18 years old. Since she was not married at the time, Gase was faced with the decision of whether or not she would want to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor. Later on, he found out that the decision he made to donate his mother’s organs helped save and improve the lives of 66 people. Overwhelmed by the impact, Gase sought opportunities to promote donation through the local organ procurement organizations (OPO) in each state. Throughout the past few years, he has been able to use his platform as a NASCAR driver to host meet-and-greets with families who have been impacted by organ donation, visit children who have been hospitalized, promote organ donation through sharing his story at high schools, and more. At just 22 years old, his efforts have already produced great dividends. Gase often has people reach out to let him know that had it not been for his story, they never would have thought to sign up as an organ donor.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series:
Martha Nemechek (Mooresville, North Carolina) lost her son John Nemechek to complications from head injuries sustained in an accident during a 1997 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In the months following the death of her 27-year old son, she was inconsolable until Nemechek received a call from Gordon Collins, a stranger empathizing with her grief, that she was able to channel into a driving force for helping those in similar situations. For the past 18 years, Nemechek has given her heart to many causes, including the exchange of supportive emails with U.S. troops in Iraq, assisting cancer patients with their wishes to meet NASCAR drivers, maintaining her World Prayer List, feeding the underprivileged, and much more. Her priority, however, is reaching out to parents who have lost children — especially those within the racing circuit. Those impacted by her efforts are amazed at Nemechek’s willingness to open up in an area that is painful for her to relive, but she is driven by her desire to reach out. The way she puts it is simple: once she began giving back, Nemechek felt like she was living again.
MORE: Official release on decision | Kenseth suspended for two races
CONCORD, N.C. — Matt Kenseth‘s suspension from NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition was upheld Thursday after a final appeal, keeping him on the sidelines for the next two races.
The ruling issued by National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer Bryan Moss at the NASCAR Research & Development Center will keep Kenseth out of NASCAR events the next two weekends, at Texas this Sunday and at Phoenix the next.
Erik Jones will drive the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at Texas, according to a Joe Gibbs Racing official.
RELATED: Jones to fill in for Kenseth at Texas
Moss made one amendment to the penalty, reducing the original six-month probation period to run through Dec. 31.
Moss’ decision comes after a three-member panel upheld Kenseth’s behavioral penalties — stemming from his on-track fracas with rival Joey Logano last weekend at Martinsville Speedway — during Thursday’s initial appeals hearing.
Both Kenseth and team owner Joe Gibbs made brief statements after Moss’ ruling, expressing displeasure with what they termed unprecedented penalties.
“Obviously, I’m more than a little disappointed with the decision and the penalties to start with,” Kenseth said. “A couple of facts, which I’m sure you guys will find — I’m the first driver in the 65-year history of NASCAR to get suspended for an incident that happened in the Sprint Cup Series race, so I feel like I was unfairly made the example instead of knowing where the line is, what the penalties are.”
Gibbs, speaking in almost hushed tones after his Kenseth’s remarks, shared his driver’s sentiments.
“I just wanted to say, that guy right there has spent 20 years in this sport. He had one other minor infraction, I think it was a $5,000 fine,” Gibbs said. “He has spent 20 years of his life racing in this sport and he’s been great for NASCAR. Our reason for appealing is we felt like this penalty was kind of unprecedented and it was inconsistent with a number of other on-track incidents. One of those is exactly like this one, and yet this penalty against Matt is an unprecedented one.
“I appreciate getting the chance to go through this process. I think we’ve done all we can do, and we’re going to go back to racing.”
RELATED: Kenseth, Gibbs react to final ruling
Moss’ ruling is final. The burden of proof rested with Kenseth for the final appeal. In the first hearing, the burden of proof was NASCAR’s responsibility.
Earlier Thursday, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel ruled that Kenseth did not provide sufficient evidence to overturn his suspension or six-month probation for the on-track incident. The rotating three-member panel for the initial hearing was composed of Ken Clapp, NASCAR’s vice president of marketing development until his retirement in 1999; Bill Mullis, a former driver and the owner of Langley Speedway in Hampton, Va.; and Dale Pinilis, longtime operator of historic Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The final appeal was only the third hearing overseen by Moss, a former Gulfstream Aerospace executive who joined the NASCAR appeals process last year. Moss also heard the final appeal for behavioral penalties against driver Kurt Busch in February, and the last appeal for technical penalties against Richard Childress Racing‘s No. 31 team in May. Moss upheld the decision of the three-member panel in both instances.
The ruling means Kenseth will be eligible to return to competition for the Nov. 22 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where champions in all three NASCAR national series will be crowned.
“I’m extremely disappointed but we’ll get through this,” said Kenseth, the 2003 premier-series champion. “Look forward to going to Homestead. I’m not going to change who I am. I’m not going to change what I stand for. I’m not going to change how I race. I’ve been in this business for a long time. I feel like I’ve had a pretty good career to this point, and I feel like I’m going to continue to have the respect on the race track that I feel like I deserve. So I’m looking forward to going to Homestead, hopefully going there and getting a win before the year is out.”
Kenseth offered a smile as he arrived at the R&D Center on Thursday morning at approximately 8:10 a.m. ET, followed minutes later by team owner Joe Gibbs for the 9 a.m. hearing.
RELATED: France explains reasoning behind penalty
On Tuesday, NASCAR suspended Kenseth for the next two races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs for his role in a crash with Logano in the late stages of Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway. Kenseth was also placed on probation for six months.
Kenseth’s Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota, several laps down, made heavy contact with Logano’s race-leading Team Penske No. 22 Ford, sending both cars into the Turn 1 wall. NASCAR competition officials parked Kenseth for the remainder of the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500. Kenseth, Gibbs and No. 20 crew chief Jason Ratcliff were each summoned to the NASCAR officials’ hauler for post-race consultation.
Kenseth was eliminated from championship eligibility during the three-race Contender Round in large part because of an on-track run-in with Logano at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 18. Contact from Logano nudged race leader Kenseth into a late-race spin, ending his bid for an automatic berth in the Chase’s next round.
WHAT TRANSPIRED: Kansas | Martinsville
Kenseth expressed frustration at Logano’s unapologetic stance after the incident, saying he “should have stopped running his mouth, A, and No. 2, he’s lying when he said he didn’t do it on purpose.” Kenseth’s irritation mounted in the two races that followed — at Talladega, when Logano hindered his entry to pit road during a mid-race stop; and at Martinsville as Logano and teammate Brad Keselowski orchestrated their maneuvers in a series of mid-race restarts.
The Penske drivers’ arrangement on restarts was partially to blame for a crash with 65 laps remaining, bottling up the front-runners and snaring Kenseth, Keselowski and Kurt Busch with the most damage. Kenseth’s No. 20 returned to the track after repairs, running at reduced pace before his wreck with Logano at the front of the field.
Joe Gibbs Racing released a statement shortly after Tuesday’s penalty was issued, saying Kenseth would appeal the severity of the punishment.
RELATED: Jones to drive No. 20 car at Texas
FORT WORTH, Texas — Erik Jones, the current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points leader, has plenty on his mind as his season comes to a close with Matt Crafton and Tyler Reddick bearing down on him.
So why not throw a little more on the plate for the 19-year-old?
With the news of Matt Kenseth‘s two-race suspension being upheld after a series of appeals on Thursday at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center in Concord, North Carolina, Joe Gibbs Racing tabbed Jones as replacement driver for the 2003 Sprint Cup Series champion’s No. 20 Toyota for this weekend’s Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, according to a JGR official.
With a full slate of racing ahead of him — and a championship battle to focus on — how will the the driver handle a NASCAR triple-header?
“Obviously the Truck and the XFINITY car are my main focus,” the Kyle Busch Motorsports driver said Thursday at Texas Motor Speedway, ahead of a pair of NCWTS practice sessions. “That’s what I know I’m doing, coming into this weekend. … Obviously I’m going to do the best that I can for them, just to keep them in contention and hopefully have a good race for them.
“… Obviously we’ll go into the Truck race here this weekend and try to fire off and get ourselves back and where we need to be in that series.”
Jones has already filled in for a pair of other JGR drivers earlier this year in Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch for his first taste of Cup action.
After a lengthy rain delay at Bristol locked up Hamlin’s aching neck, Jones jumped in the No. 11. When Busch was sidelined with leg injuries earlier this season, Jones piloted the No. 18 at Kansas.
The results were 26th at Bristol and 40th at Kansas, after a wreck, but many came away impressed with the poise the Michigander showed behind the wheel, especially on short notice.
Regardless, now that Joe Gibbs came calling this weekend, he’ll be ready.
“Bristol was, I think, a tough situation for everybody, never being in a Cup car all together,” said Jones, who mentioned he hadn’t yet spoken to No. 20 crew chief Jason Ratcliff. “I was really comfortable at Kansas; I was pretty happy with the way things were going up to the point that I lost it.
“Running up in the top 10 there and being competitive and being in contention definitely gave me a lot of confidence for the next opportunity I get, whether it be this weekend or whether it be in a year or two years, whatever it may be. I definitely feel confident in myself to be able to go out and do a good job.”
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will compete in two of the final three races with a Goodyear tire combination that has already been used twice this season, in the spring race at Texas Motor Speedway and the opening Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Chicagoland Speedway.
Beneficial yes, but will the results from those two races be repeatable for those that ran well in the two previous events?
The series returns to Texas this weekend for the AAA Texas 500 (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM) and will conclude the 2015 season two weeks later at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford EcoBoost 400 (Nov. 22, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM). Both are 1.5-mile tracks, as is Chicagoland.
“It’s good because you can do the same things air-pressure wise; you know the lateral/vertical grip of the tire, what it will handle,” Tony Gibson, crew chief for Chase participant Kurt Busch, said. “The difference is the actual material that’s in the asphalt at the race tracks. They’re a little bit different.
“Homestead is a little different because it’s surface is older and because of the (variable) banking. So Homestead is kind of in a league of its own. And it sits in the sun down there all year; the asphalt is really abrasive. So it does chew that tire up more so than Chicago or Texas; all of them chew them up, but I’d say Homestead is probably the worst (of the three).”
Among drivers that are still in the Chase, Busch has the fourth-best average finish in the races at Texas and Chicagoland (8.5), and along with Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick, led double-digit laps.
Even though the makeup of the tires is the same, differences in the tracks cause the tires to wear differently.
“Texas is different because of the wheel loads, more vertical in your speed,” he said. “That tire responds a little bit different at Texas. That’s why we’ve seen in the past some left side failures on tires on low air. To get the grip out of that tire at all three tracks, you need to be pretty low on air pressure. Unfortunately the loads are different at all three.
“You want to run low air to get maximum grip out of the tire. But the load at Texas is way high compared to Chicago and Homestead. All three have different characteristics.”
Busch won the pole at Texas in the spring, and led 45 laps. He led 37 at Chicagoland.
“The car we’re taking is the Darlington/Dover car,” said Gibson, “that was extremely fast at both of those tracks. We’re putting together really good cars for (Texas and Homestead), and being on the same tire, we know what this tire does.”
Joey Logano had the best average finish among the drivers still competing in the Chase in the Texas/Chicagoland combo (5.0), followed by Carl Edwards (6.0) and Brad Keselowski (6.5).
New Surface for The Glen
Re-paving work at Watkins Glen International has been completed, according to track officials as one of only two road courses on the Sprint Cup Series schedule prepares for the ’16 racing season.
Next up for the facility is the installation of concrete rumble strips, grading and grassing of off-surface areas, concrete work along pit road as well as various wiring projects.
WGI hosted its first NASCAR event in 1957.
RELATED: See how the repave got underway
Goodyear, Teams Return to AMS
Last week’s Goodyear test at Atlanta Motor Speedway, postponed due to rain, got underway Tuesday at the 1.5-mile track with Jamie McMurray (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates), Bobby Labonte (Richard Childress Racing), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing) and David Ragan (Joe Gibbs Racing) taking part in the two-day test.
Labonte was filling in for Austin Dillon while Ragan was testing with the No. 19 team of Carl Edwards.
The test is scheduled to conclude on Wednesday.
RELATED: Photos of the incident | NASCAR suspends Kenseth
NASCAR Chairman & CEO Brian France appeared on the SiriusXM Radio Speedway show on Wednesday and addressed the two-race suspension handed out to Matt Kenseth for his role in the wreck that knocked himself and Joey Logano out of Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway.
Not only was Kenseth suspended for two races, but he also was put on probation for six months. Joe Gibbs Racing has since appealed the penalties, and that appeal will be heard starting at 9 a.m. ET on Thursday at the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Also penalized coming out of Martinsville was Danica Patrick for aggressive driving on David Gilliland. Patrick received a $50,000 fine and the loss of 25 driver points.
RELATED: Patrick penalized for Martinsville actions
When asked on the show about the difference between Kenseth’s aggressive driving and Danica’s, France noted the stakes that were on the line for both drivers.
“Going back to Richmond, we made it very clear that anybody in the industry, any driver or participant who intentionally tries to alter the outcome of events or championships, that that crosses a different line than a racing problem between two drivers,” France said.
After the incident at Martinsville, Logano was last among the eight Chase drivers and 28 points behind the cutoff position for the Championship 4. Logano went on social media to say he would fight, though it wasn’t clear whether he meant physically with Kenseth or to make a comeback to get back into championship contention.
When asked about whether NASCAR drivers should be allowed to self-police the sport, France clarified the sanctioning body’s position.
“What Robin (Pemberton) was saying a few years ago was hey look, boys have at it, do your normal thing, and if we over-officiate, we’ll draw back on that and let the normal racing action of NASCAR happen,” France said. “And that’s what he meant, and that’s what we tried to do.”
France went on to point out that the sport has welcomed different styles from drivers.
“We’ve always had different styles of drivers,” France said. “Gentleman drivers like a Ned Jarrett who were very successful. But there are other drivers like Brad Keselowski, or somebody else, who is going to be more aggressive. Dale Earnhardt was certainly in that category … where they take advantage of the contact part of NASCAR. …
“I look at what Brad did in Texas last year as an example of that, where he was racing hard and took some chances that other drivers wouldn’t have taken. And there was obviously some contact and a disappointing outcome for Jeff Gordon at the time. That’s always been a part of NASCAR, and there are limits to that, of course.
RELATED: Drivers react to NASCAR’s penalties on Kenseth
“And when there are lines that are crossed, like we believe there were in Martinsville, then NASCAR will step in and deal with that. And it’s as simple as that.”
Austin Theriault continues to focus on his health after a horrific crash during the Rhino Linings 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Theriault suffered a 10 percent compression fracture of the lower back as a result of the wreck. The Brad Keselowski Racing driver released a statement via Facebook to give his fans an update.
It’s been an up and down month of healing. However, it is even harder sitting on the sidelines, waiting to get back in…
Posted by Austin Theriault Racing on Tuesday, November 3, 2015
RELATED: Kenseth suspended by NASCAR for two races
Matt Kenseth‘s appeal for his two-race suspension has been set by the National Motorsports Appeal Panel for Thursday. The three-person panel will hear the appeal at 9 a.m. ET in Concord, North Carolina.
NASCAR suspended Kenseth for two races on Tuesday for his role in a crash with Joey Logano on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. NASCAR officials issued no other penalties to the driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota, but did place Kenseth on probation for the next six months.
Moments after the ruling was issued, Joe Gibbs Racing announced Kenseth would appeal the penalty. “The appeal will challenge the severity of the penalty which is believed to be inconsistent with previous penalties for similar on-track incidents,” the JGR statement read. “There will be no further comments from JGR personnel during the appeal process.”
RELATED: Hamlin says Kenseth upheld ‘driver’s code’
Kenseth and Logano wrecked on Lap 454 of the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500, with Kenseth’s No. 20 entry making heavy contact with Logano’s Team Penske No. 22 Ford. The collision carried both cars into the Turn 1 wall, severely damaging both.
The run-in was the latest chapter in escalating tensions between the two rivals during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs. Though Kenseth attempted to blame the crash on a deflated tire or mechanical issue, the altercation was widely perceived to be retaliation for hard racing between the two in recent weeks.
Kenseth was multiple laps down at the time of the incident because of an earlier crash. Logano was out front and had led nearly half of the race to that point. Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, said Sunday evening that those two factors weighed heavily in the minds of race officials, who parked Kenseth’s No. 20 for the rest of the day shortly after the two cars came to rest.
“In our minds, that’s a little bit different than two drivers really going after it coming out of Turn 4 for a win versus what happened tonight,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell reiterated that stance in Tuesday’s penalty report from the sanctioning body.
“Based upon our extensive review, we have concluded that the No. 20 car driver, who is no longer in the Chase, intentionally wrecked the No. 22 car driver, a Chase-eligible competitor who was leading the race at the time,” O’Donnell said in a statement. “The No. 20 car was nine laps down, and eliminated the No. 22 car’s opportunity to continue to compete in the race.
“Additionally, we factored aspects of safety into our decision, and also the fact that the new Chase elimination format puts a premium on each and every race. These actions have no place in NASCAR.”
Two weeks earlier at Kansas Speedway, Logano pressured and eventually spun Kenseth in a late-race battle for the lead. Logano, having already advanced to the next round in the Chase with a win the previous week at Charlotte, continued on to victory and was unapologetic for his aggressive racing in his post-race remarks.
RELATED: Evolution of a feud between Logano and Kenseth
RELATED: Kenseth suspended for two races by NASCAR | Drivers react
Matt Kenseth was issued a two-race suspension from NASCAR for intentionally wrecking Joey Logano at Martinsville Speedway. Logano was leading the race at the time when Kenseth, who was several laps down, got into the 22 of Logano on Lap 454 and both cars went into the wall. Kenseth was also placed on probation for a six-month period.
The friction between the drivers began two weeks earlier at Kansas Speedway when Kenseth was leading the second race of the Contender Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with five laps to go when Logano made contact with him that led to Kenseth spinning out. Logano went on to win the race in a green-white-checkered finish but Kenseth was none too pleased about the ending.
“Based upon our extensive review, we have concluded that the No. 20 car driver, who is no longer in the Chase, intentionally wrecked the No. 22 car driver, a Chase-eligible competitor who was leading the race at the time,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “The No. 20 car was nine laps down, and eliminated the No. 22 car’s opportunity to continue to compete in the race.
“Additionally, we factored aspects of safety into our decision, and also the fact that the new Chase elimination format puts a premium on each and every race. These actions have no place in NASCAR.”
A series of appeals were heard on Thursday and Kenseth’s two-race suspension was upheld. His probation period was decreased from six months to through December 31, 2015.
This is a rare penalty in the sport. In fact, the closest type of penalty seen like it came in 2011 when Kyle Busch was parked for XFINITY and Sprint Cup races at Texas in November of that year. Busch was parked for retaliating and wrecking title contender Ron Hornaday Jr. in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the 1.5-mile track. Busch was also fined $50,000 and placed on probation for the remainder of the season.
Here is a look at several major penalties issued by NASCAR in recent years.
Michael Waltrip Racing | Richmond International Raceway, September 2013
Violation: Section 12-4: Actions detrimental to stock car racing. MWR’s three teams in the Sprint Cup Series (the No. 15, 55, 56) were penalized with the loss of 50 championship driver and 50 championship owner points, respectively. These point penalties were assessed following the season’s 26th regular-season race and not after the seeding for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. That resulted in Martin Truex Jr. being eliminated from the second Wild Card spot in the playoff field. NASCAR also fined the MWR organization $300,000 and indefinitely suspended Ty Norris, MWR Executive Vice President/General Manager and spotter for the No. 55 car, for violating Section 12-4. The three crew chiefs — Brian Pattie (No. 15), Scott Miller (No. 55) and Chad Johnston (No. 56) — were all placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.
Penalty: Loss of 50 Cup Driver Points for each MWR team.*
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway, July 2014
Violation: Section 12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing. Section 20-2.1: Car body must be acceptable to NASCAR officials and
Section 20-3.4.5: A rear firewall, including any removable panels or access doors, constructed using magnetic sheet steel a minimum of 22 gage (0.031 inch thick), must be located between the trunk area and the driver’s compartment and must be welded in place. Block-off plates/covers used in rear firewalls in place of blowers, oil coolers, etc., must be constructed of 22 gage (0.031 inch thick) magnetic sheet steel. Block-off plates/covers must be installed with positive fasteners and sealed to prevent air leakage. Carbon fiber or aluminum block-off plates/covers will not be permitted.
Penalty: Loss of 75 Cup Driver Points*
Carl Long, No. 146 | Lowe’s Motor Speedway, May 2009
Violation: Section 12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing. Section 12-4-I: Any determination by NASCAR Officials that the Race Equipment used in the Event does not conform to NASCAR rules: Section 20-5.4A: Engine exceeded the maximum engine size of 358.000 cubic inch displacement.
Penalty: Loss of 200 Cup Driver Points.
Ryan Newman, No. 31 | Auto Club Speedway, March 2015
Violations: Section 12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing. 20.16: Wheels and Tires: A. Any device, modification, or procedure to the tire or wheel, including the valve stem hardware, that is used to release pressure, beyond normal pressure adjustments, from the tire and/or inner shield, will not be permitted.
20.16.2: Tires: F. Modifications to the tires, by treatment or any other means, will not be permitted.
Section 12.5.3.5.1 lists P5 Penalty Violation examples that could include but are not limited to:
A. Effecting, modifying and/or altering the standard tires in any way, other than through authorized means such as tire pressure adjustments within the recommended range, permitted tire cooling when mounted on the race vehicle; or heat-cycling on the race vehicle on the race track earlier in the event.
Penalty: Loss of 50 Cup Driver Points*
Matt Kenseth, No. 20 | Kansas Speedway, April 2013
Violation: Section 12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing. Section 12-4J: Any determination by NASCAR Officials that Race Equipment used in the Event does not conform to the NASCAR Rules detailed in Section 20 of the NASCAR Rule Book, or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the Event. Section 20-5.5.3E.: Only solid magnetic steel connecting rods with a minimum weight of 525.0 grams will be permitted. Connecting rod failed to meet the minimum connecting rod weight.
Penalty: Loss of 50 Cup Driver Points.*
Jeremy Mayfield, No. 12 | Talladega Superspeedway, April 2000
Violation: Section 12-4-A: Actions detrimental to stock car racing. Section 8-8: Fuel used by a Competitor that does not meet NASCAR specifications. Section 12-4-AA: Use of altered fuel or fuel other than the official fuel at the Event.
Penalty: Loss of 151 Cup Driver points.
Johnny Sauter, No. 70 | Lowe’s Motor Speedway, May 2008
Violation: Section 20-3.1.3A: Wing mounting locations were not as specified by the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book.
Penalty: Loss of 150 Cup Driver points.
Appealed: NASCAR Penalty upheld.
Scott Riggs, No. 66 | Lowe’s Motor Speedway, May 2008
Violation: Section 20-3.1.3A: Wing mounting locations were not as specified by the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book.
Penalty: Loss of 150 Cup Owner points.
Appealed: NASCAR Penalty upheld.
Brian Vickers, No. 83 | Martinsville Speedway, October 2008
Violation: Section 12-4-Q: Section 20-2.1D: Exterior sheet metal body parts did not meet the specified minimum thickness.
Penalty: Loss of 150 Cup Driver points.
Martin Truex Jr., No. 1 | Daytona International Speedway, July 2008
Violation: Section 12-4-Q: Section 20-3.8A: Roof of the car does not conform to the specifications of the NASCAR Rule Book.
Penalty: Loss of 150 Cup Driver points.
Travis Kvapil, No. 43 | Pocono Raceway, June 2010
Violation: Section 12-1: Section 12-4-J: Section 20-10.7J: Unapproved modification to valve stem hardware.
Penalty: 150 Cup Driver Points
Clint Bowyer, No. 15 | September 2010, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Violation: Section 12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing. Section 12-4-J: Any determination by NASCAR Officials that the Race Equipment used in the Event does not conform to NASCAR Rules: Section 20-3: The car body location specifications in reference to the certified chassis, does not meet the NASCAR-approved specifications.
Penalty: 150 Cup Driver Points
*These penalties are ranked according to their severity in proportion to the points system used at that time. NASCAR moved to a one-point-per-position format in 2011.
