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NASCAR has made a new addition to the rule book effective immediately that all five lug nuts must be installed and in a secure manner in all national events.
This rule change/addition comes after NASCAR driver Tony Stewart made some comments about the lug nut issue in a whole. His statement caused him to be fined $35,000 by NASCAR, which became a hot topic throughout the race weekend at Richmond International Raceway.
According to the new rule for all teams if there is any identification of missing lug nut(s) on a wheel the following penalties will occur:
Sprint Cup Series penalties is as follows:
- If found pre-race it will count as an unapproved adjustment and it will result in the team having to start at the tail end of the field and the crew will have to fix the problem immediately.
- Tires intended for race use that do not have all five lug nuts glued on the wheel will result in a written warning and will have to be fixed immediately.
- If found post race, the first offense will result in a $20,000 fine, crew chief suspended for one race and put on probation.
Multiple offenses will result in escalated penalties.
NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck penalties is as follows:
- NXS post-race – (P3 penalty) – first offense will be a $10,000 fine, crew chief suspended for one race and put on probation.
- NCWTS post race – (p3 penalty) – first offense will be a $5,000 fine, crew chief suspension for one race and put on probation.
“NASCAR had been closely monitoring the aggressive strategies on pit road,'” Scott Miller NASCAR Senior Vice President of competition said. “Safety is an area we do not take lightly, as our record has clearly indicated. It’s important for us to have a system in place immediately for addressing the lug nut installation, while also working alongside the industry to develop the best long term solution.”
