The Nationwide teams of RCR and Turner Motorsports escaped points penalties from Richmond. (Getty Images)
The crew chiefs and car chiefs of the Nationwide teams of Richard Childress Racing and Turner Motorsports were fine $10,000 each and placed on probation, but the teams avoided any points penalties on Tuesday for infractions found prior to Friday's race at Richmond.
From NASCAR:
Crew chiefs Luke Lambert (No. 2 team), Danny Stockman (No. 3 team), Trent Owens (No. 30 team), Jimmy Elledge (No. 31 team), Ernie Cope (No. 33 team), and Mike Shiplett (No. 38 team) have each been fined $10,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. Additionally, the teams' respective car chiefs — Phil Gould (No. 2), Robert Strmiska (No. 3), Shannon Rursch (No. 30), Ronald Hornaday III (No. 31), Paul Balmer (No. 33), and Christopher Meyers (No. 38) — have likewise been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.
During pre-race inspection activities before Friday's Nationwide race, NASCAR found illegal modifications to the front bumper covers of the cars of points leader Elliott Sadler, Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick, Justin Allgaier, James Buescher and Kasey Kahne. All six cars are Chevrolets.
Sadler said that his car was already run twice in 2012 prior to the bumper's confiscation on Thursday. No modifications are permitted to the bumper covers of the cars, which are provided to the teams by the manufacturers.
The penalties to the six Nationwide teams were the first for inspection violations since Hendrick Motorsports won its appeal of the points penalty handed down from NASCAR to Jimmie Johnson's team for C-post issues at Daytona. Hendrick took the appeal all the way to NASCAR chief appellate officer John Middlebrook, who rescinded the 25 point penalty against the team, but kept the $150,000 fine.
