With the NASCAR Playoffs well underway, every team knows that they cannot afford to make any mistakes. Truthfully, no race is over until the stewards have their say in the matter. Apparently, quite a few drivers learned that lesson the hard way at the Darlington Raceway.
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The first playoff race witnessed several teams make mistakes, and some drivers paid a hefty price for them. Ryan Blaney was the first victim, as the officials discovered an improperly mounted ballast during the pre-race inspection.
As a result, Crew Chief Todd Gordon copped a suspension. Blaney didn’t get away scot-free either, as he was forced to forfeit seventh place on the grid and got slapped with a 10-point penalty.
This severely hobbled Blaney’s ability to make up points, and he ended his race down in 24th. This was largely because he suffered a flat tire and nose damage. To make matters worse, Team Penske elected not to appeal the decision, and they offered an explanation.
“A 5lb bag of lead that is typically used during setup at the shop to simulate fluid weights prior to the race engine being installed was accidentally left in the car. The team accepts the penalty,” read a statement by the team.
This has hurt a number of NASCAR drivers
With this penalty, Blaney heads to Richmond on the back foot and 17 points away from the cutoff. Luckily, he was not alone in his misery, and several other drivers joined him in the stewards’ office.
Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer were slapped with a one-race suspension for their Crew Chiefs. In addition to that, they also received a $20,000 fine each. According to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, Greg Zipadelli will take on the Crew Chief role for Clint Bowyer.
On the bright side, Busch and Bowyer finished in the Top-10 at Darlington. However, Bowyer is in a more vulnerable position as Aric Almirola is leading him in a tiebreaker.
NASCAR officials also found that William Byron and race winner Kevin Harvick had one unsafely secured lug nut each.
