Hendrick Motorsports was hit with significant penalties for the second time in a month on Thursday, with NASCAR issuing points deductions, fines and suspensions to the teams of William Byron and Cup Series points leader Alex Bowman.
Byron’s and Bowman’s cars had been the “random” picks for closer inspection at NASCAR’s R&D Center in North Carolina following the Richmond Raceway event last weekend — a selection that came in the wake of Hendrick’s partial victory over NASCAR in the appeals process one week ago.
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But once the cars were taken for teardown at the R&D Center, officials found Hendrick broke a rule relating to the greenhouse (essentially the area above the door and between the front and rear windows). As a result, Byron and Bowman each lose 60 regular-season points and five playoff points (the equivalent of one race win). Given their normal crew chiefs were already suspended for a previous violation at Phoenix several weeks ago, NASCAR suspended substitute crew chiefs Brian Campe and Greg Ives for two races (beginning after this weekend’s race) and fined them $75,000 each.
“We are reviewing the penalties issued today by NASCAR and will determine next steps following Sunday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway,” Hendrick Motorsports said in a statement.
The penalty is an “L1,” which is the lowest in the rulebook. Penalty options for this level of infraction include 20-75 points, 1-10 playoff points, a crew member suspension between one and three races, and a fine between $25,000 and $100,000.
Given the penalties were in the middle-to-upper range of the options, it could indicate how severely officials viewed the infractions.
According to the section of the NASCAR rulebook cited in the penalty notice, Hendrick was found to have violated a section that reads: “The greenhouse may be modified to accommodate a windshield wiper motor where required; these modifications will be permitted for all racetracks.”
That could mean Hendrick modified the area in question, but went too far in doing so.
Hendrick’s Kyle Larson and Josh Berry finished 1-2 at the Richmond race, but per NASCAR policy, those cars were inspected at the track and not submitted to the same kind of examination that can be done at the R&D Center. It’s unknown if they would have been caught for the same infractions as Byron’s and Bowman’s cars.
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It’s been a rollercoaster for Hendrick lately after the team was given one of the largest penalties in NASCAR history following the discovery of illegally modified hood louvers at Phoenix. But then an appeals panel removed the harshest part of the penalty (100 points and 10 playoff points for each driver), which put the Hendrick drivers back in contention for the regular-season championship.
Now Bowman, who had been the points leader before the previous penalties and again after they were reduced on appeal, loses his points lead again. Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing is the new points leader heading into Bristol.
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(Photo: Jared C. Tilton / Getty)
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