NASCAR suspends Sprint Cup crew chief for rules violation at Atlanta

Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet, left, talks with crew chief Cole Pearn
Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet, left, talks with crew chief Cole Pearn
Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet, left, talks with crew chief Cole Pearn

NASCAR issued a one-race suspension to Sprint Cup crew chief Cole Pearn of the Furniture Row Racing team Wednesday. They also issued a $50,000 fine for a rules violation that took place during last week’s race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota Martin Truex Jr. was also penalized 15 championship driver points and team owner Barney Visser was penalized 15 championship owner points.

The violation, involved the roof flap(s), and was found during pre-race inspection for Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at AMS. That violation was the same as was found prior to qualifying at Daytona International Speedway.  As the car waited for its turn on track at Daytona, NASCAR inspectors ordered the roof flap fixed and put the team on the five minute clock, shortly after the car was taken back to an inspection area and impounded.

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Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. 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.