NASCAR came down hard on No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team Wednesday issuing L2-level penalties for an unapproved modification of a single-source part.
The infraction falls under the heading of Sections 14.1 (vehicle assembly) and 14.5 (body), resulted in a 100-point penalty for both driver Kevin Harvick and the No. 4 SHR team in their respective Cup Series points standings. In addition, crew chief Rodney Childers was fined $100,000 and suspended from the next four Cup Series events.
The No. 4 Ford — which Harvick raced to a 29th-place finish in last Sunday’s race at Talladega — was one of two cars taken back to the NASCAR Research & Development Center after the race. The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for Martin Truex Jr. was also taken to the R&D Center for further post-race inspection.
Childers, who celebrated his 600th Cup Series start at Talladega, would be eligible to return for the Nov. 6 season finale at Phoenix Raceway. The team did not immediately announce whether it would appeal the penalty. Harvick is currently 16th in points.
A behavioral penalty was also handed down in another NASCAR national series.
Competition officials indefinitely suspended Andrew Abbott, crew chief for the No. 20 Young’s Motorsports team in the Camping World Truck Series, for violating the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct (Sections 4.3.A and 4.4). Officials indicated that “completion of NASCAR-mandated anger management training is a pre-requisite to reinstatement.”
Shocker….. https://t.co/vbQXhJM3O2
— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) October 5, 2022
Seems strange…
— Kevin Harvick (@KevinHarvick) October 5, 2022
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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