Tuesday, as was widely expected, NASCAR issued crewmember suspensions to two Cup series teams and a Xfinity series team after cars lost wheels during the races at Dover Motor Speedway.
The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team for driver Denny Hamlin and the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet team of AJ Allmendinger were each issued penalties for improperly installed wheels. The safety violations resulted in suspensions for the next four points paying races to the following crewmembers:
- No. 11 team: Crew chief Chris Gabehart, jackman Derrell Edwards, front-tire changer Blake Houston
- No. 16 team: Crew chief Matt Swiderski, front-tire changer Keiston France, jackman Jonathan Willard
In the Xfinity Series, the JR Motorsports No. 1 Chevrolet team with driver Sam Mayer was hit with four-race suspensions to three crew members for the loss of a wheel during Saturday’s Xfinity race. Crew chief Taylor Moyer and crew members Orane Ossowski (rear changer) and Markus Pierce-Brewster (jack) were suspended for the next four races.
Also in the Xfinity series, the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet team was fined for having one unsecured lug nut in a post-race check. Crew chief Bruce Schlicker was fined $5,000.
Additionally, NASCAR officials announced an indefinite suspension to Jason Houghtaling, the result of a behavioral penalty under Sections 4.4.e of the Rule Book (NASCAR Member Code of Conduct). Houghtaling had been listed as the crew chief of Jesse Iwuji Motorsports’ No. 34 entry on team rosters for the first eight races of the season.
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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