NASCAR penalized the No. 2 team of Nationwide Series title contender Elliott Sadler on Tuesday, docking the Richard Childress Racing team six points in the series standings.
The No. 2 Chevrolet from Richard Childress Racing was too low in post-race inspection after Sadler finished second in Sunday’s Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 at Iowa Speedway. Sadler indicated Monday on SPEED’s “Race Hub” broadcast that the illegal body height was likely due to a parts failure.
It marked the second time in three weeks that Childress’ top Nationwide operation has been penalized. Crew chief Luke Lambert was placed on probation May 1 through the end of the season after the car’s front bumper covers were found with unapproved modifications in a pre-race inspection at Richmond International Raceway.
Lambert was fined $10,000 for the Iowa violations. Sadler was stripped of six points in the Nationwide driver standings and car owner of record DeLana Harvick was docked six points in the series’ owner standings.
Sadler, who ranks second in Nationwide standings, now is 34 points behind defending series champion and current points leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who notched his third win of the season Sunday at Iowa.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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