NASCAR penalizes Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports for rear suspension violation

Chase Elliott loses 25 points and a key crew member was suspended two races after Elliott’s car failed technical inspection following Sunday’s race at ISM Raceway.

First-place finisher Kevin Harvick may not have run afoul of NASCAR inspectors this week, however the same cannot be said of third-place finisher Chase Elliott, whose team was hit with significant penalties for violations found on the No. 9 Chevrolet following Sunday’s Cup Series race at ISM Raceway.

Elliott’s crew chief, Alan Gustafson was fined $50,000, while car chief Josh Kirk was suspended two races. Additionally, NASCAR stripped Elliott of 25 driver points and Hendrick Motorsports 25 owner points.

The violations come after officials determined Elliott’s car had a nonconforming rear suspension, as the truck trailing arm spacer/pinion angle shim mounting surfaces must be flat and in complete contact with corresponding mating surfaces at all points and at all times.

Hendrick will appeal the penalties, allowing Kirk to attend races during the appeals process. No hearing date has been set.

Elliott finished third behind Harvick and second-place Kyle Busch in the Ticket Guardian 500. Harvick won for the third straight race, a triumph that followed officials finding multiple rules violations on the car he drove to victory the week previous at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Elliott wasn’t the lone driver to be issued a penalty stemming from the ISM race weekend. NASCAR also fined the crew chiefs for Ryan Blaney (Jeremy Bullins), Denny Hamlin (Mike Wheeler), Joey Logano (Todd Gordon), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Brian Pattie) and Martin Truex Jr. (Cole Pearn) $10,000 apiece for having one unsecured lug nut on their respective cars at the conclusion of the race.