DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Two NASCAR Xfinity Series teams were hammered with the maximum sanctions for unsecured lug nuts on Wednesday following the Food City 300 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
Both the No. 12 Team Penske Ford of Austin Cindric and the No. 76 SS Green Light Racing Chevrolet of Spencer Boyd had three lug nuts loose during post-race inspection, violating Section 10.9.10.4 (Tires and Wheels) of the 2018 NASCAR Rule Book.
As a result, crew chiefs Matt Swiderski (Cindric) and Jason Miller (Boyd) have been suspended for the next three Xfinity Series events, starting this weekend at Road America and running through the Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sept. 8. Both Swiderski and Miller were also fined $20,000.
In addition, Cindric and Boyd were penalized with the loss of 35 driver points apiece, while the Nos. 12 and 76 teams were docked 35 owner points.
Cindric crossed the line 14th in Friday’s Xfinity Series race, while Boyd finished 25th.
Of note, the 35-point penalty bumps Cindric back from ninth to 10th in the regular-season standings, however, he remains well above the cut line and not at risk for being bumped out of the provisional playoff field.
The No. 22 Team Penske Ford team in the Xfinity Series was also penalized for a lug nut infraction from the Bristol event, however that machine only had two lug nuts that were not safe and secure.
Crew chief Brian Wilson will be suspended from Saturday’s Johnsonville 180 at Road America as a result. Wilson was also fined $10,000.
Joey Logano drove the No. 22 Ford to a fifth-place finish on Friday night.
In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, two teams received penalties following Thursday night’s UNOH 200 at Bristol, most notably the No. 68 Chevrolet of Clay Greenfield.
Greenfield’s organization was penalized for a violation of Section 20.3.4 (Ballast Containers) of the 2018 NASCAR Rule Book. Ballast weight was lost or separated from the truck during the event weekend.
As a result, crew chief Danny Gill, truck chief Melvin Burns Jr. and mechanic William Guinade will all be suspended from the next three Truck Series events, running through the Oct. 13 race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
The No. 88 ThorSport Racing Ford F-150 of Matt Crafton also had one loose lug nut following Thursday night’s race. Crew chief Carl Joiner Jr. has been fined $2,500 for that infraction.
No penalties were issued in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series from Bristol.
