NASCAR hit Stewart-Haas Racing with two L1-level penalties on Tuesday after last weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
After NASCAR confiscated the roof rails of the No. 10 Ford of driver Noah Gragson and the No. 41 Ford of Ryan Preece at the race track, it docked both teams 35 driver and owner points in Tuesday’s penalty report.
Per the NASCAR Rule Book, roof air deflectors must consist of parts outlined in Section 14.5.6.1.a. Additionally, they must meet the following criteria: be constructed of 0.05-inch thick aluminum; be installed perpendicular in the applicable slots; must not interfere with the functioning of the roof flaps; and must be painted.
“It’s a team part, but it has to meet the CAD drawing,” NASCAR Senior VP of Competition Elton Sawyer said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday. “And in this case, it didn’t meet that.”
Joey Logano, driver of Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford, was also dealt a $10,000 fine for modifying an SFI-approved protective glove. Section 14.3.1.1 (“Driver Protective Clothing/Equipment”) in the NASCAR Rule Book requires protective gloves meet SFI-approved specifications.
After qualifying second at Atlanta, Logano was sent to the rear of the field for the start of Sunday’s race and issued a mandatory pass-through penalty after the green flag.
“What happened at the race track and the way it was handled was strictly based on performance and using that device,” Sawyer said on SiriusXM. “Now, altering an SFI-certified safety piece of apparel, that’s a different topic.”
Logano’s left-handed glove was modified with webbing between the thumb and index finger. Per SFI specifications, “gloves shall have separate sections for each finger and thumb.”
Source: NASCAR.com
