The No. 9 Chevy raced by Noah Grason which finished fourth in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity race at Darlington Speedway was disqualified in post-race inspection.
Gragson led a race high 40 laps and finished second in both Stages and initially won his third consecutive $100,000 Dash-4-Cash bonus. In post-race inspection however, NASCAR disqualified the car under Rule 20.14.c:
“All suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension and/or drivetrain component beyond normal rotation or suspension and/or drivetrain travel.”
The DQ sent him to the back of the field and moved everyone behind winner Justin Allgaier up one spot. The Dash-4-Cash bonus was awarded to AJ Allmendinger who finished 12th, the highest finishing driver among those eligible. Gragson loses his eligibility for the next Dash-4-Cash race at Dover next week.
Team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. later posted on social media: “I want our teams to always be aggressive with the rule book and I always want @Nascar to be extremely strict in enforcing it. Sometimes those lines are gonna cross. Shake it off and get ready for the next one.”
The four drivers now eligible for the $100,000 bonus will be Allmendinger, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry and Brandon Jones.
I want our teams to always be aggressive with the rule book and I always want @Nascar to be extremely strict in enforcing it. Sometimes those lines are gonna cross. Shake it off and get ready for the next one. https://t.co/hKsq9I8n8v
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) May 9, 2018
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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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