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NASCAR issued an L2-level penalty to the #34 driver Michael McDowell and his team Front Row Motorsports after a technical violation was detected during a post-race inspection.
The violation was discovered when NASCAR randomly took McDowell’s #34 Ford Mustang and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s #47 Chevrolet to their R&D Center following the last Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway.
The penalties fall under Sections 14.1 C, D, and Q as well as Sections 14.5 A and B in the rule book of the governing body. These include the docking of 100 driver points and if McDowell manages to win one of the five remaining races in the regular season, the team will lose 10 playoff points.
In addition, the team will be docked 100 owner points, and crew chief Blake Harris was fined $100,000 and suspended for the next four Cup Series races for "altering seams/body filler." On Twitter, motorsports journalist Bob Pockrass shared the news, stating:
“After look at car at R&D, Michael McDowell has been docked 100 driver pts (and 100 owner pts) & 10 playoff points & crew chief Blake Harris suspended 4 races & fined $100K for altering seams/body filler. No additional penalties to 11/18 and no issues with the 47 at R&D center.”
The disqualification of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch moved McDowell to sixth in the final result standings on Sunday at Pocono Raceway. Before the penalty was imposed, the Front Row Motorsports driver was 20th in the points table with 447 points. With a deduction of 100 points, he falls to 26th in the standings with 347 points.
To qualify for the playoffs, McDowell must finish in the top 30 with a win by the end of the regular season.
Front Row Motorsports has yet to release a statement about the penalty. It will have time to challenge the penalty by 5 p.m. on Friday, July 29, 2022.
NASCAR handed a similar penalty to Brad Keselowski’s team at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Following the March Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Brad Keselowski and his #6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing received a similar L-2 level penalty after discovering that the team had modified a single source supplied part.
According to the NASCAR rulebook, the penalty options for L2 violations include:
- Loss of 75-120 points
- Loss of 10-25 playoff points
- 4-6 race suspension of one or two crew members
- $100,000 – $250,000 fine
