Photo Credit: Justin McFarland
Following Richmond International Raceway, three times were handed out penalties from NASCAR.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the No. 17 for Roush Fenway Racing, were addressed a P3 penalty for a violation at Richmond, a punishment which includes the suspension of crew chief Nick Sandler. On opening day inspection, the No. 17 did not meet vehicle safety specifications. According to the penalty report, the steering wheel coupling did not meet the SIF 42.1 specification, which relates to the steering wheel quick disconnect/release.
Sandler will serve his suspension from NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points events through May 4, which includes one race – this weekend’s Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway . Additionally, he was fined $20,000 and is also on probation until Dec. 31. Stenhouse, currently sits 19th in the point standings.
In addition to the penalty on the No. 17 team, two other teams were issued written warnings for failing pre-race inspection. The No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson failed twice at the template inspection, and the No. 14 of Tony Stewart failed twice at the LIS (laser inspection system) station. This was the first offence for both teams this year. Four warnings results in the loss of pit stall selection.
