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On Tuesday, NASCAR issued penalties to Bubba Wallace Jr.'s 23XI Racing team after his No. 23 Toyota Camry lost a wheel during Sunday’s race at the Circuit of the Americas.
Officials handed suspensions to 23XI Racing Crew Chief Robert Bootie Barker and crew members Caleb Dirks (Jack) and Adam Riley (rear-tire changer) for the next four races.
Motor sports journalist Bob Pockrass shared the news on Twitter by stating that:
The infraction falls under Section 10.5.2.6 in the NASCAR Rule Book, which penalizes teams for the loss or separation of an improperly installed wheel. Prior to the loose wheel, Wallace Jr. finished 10th in Stage Two.
The incident took place on lap 45 at the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix, when the left-rear wheel was lost after a lug nut fell from the No. 23 Toyota driven by Bubba Wallace Jr. This technical problem brought about his first DNF of the 2022 season.
In response to the penalty, the 23XI Racing team released a statement, which states:
“Following the recently issued penalty by NASCAR related to an incident at Circuit of the Americas, Dave Rogers, 23XI Performance Director, will serve as acting crew chief for the No. 23 team. The team will not appeal the decision.”
The 23XI Racing team declined to appeal NASCAR's decision. This means Barker, Dirks and Riley will be eligible to return on May 1 at Dover Motor Speedway.
This is the fifth occasion of the 2022 season a team has been suspended due to tire loss issues on the Next Gen car.
Corey LaJoie, Kaz Grala, Justin Haley and Todd Gilliland’s team suffered loose wheels this season which have resulted in suspensions of crew chiefs, tire changers and tire carriers for four races.
Where does Bubba Wallace Jr. stand in the Cup Series points table?
Bubba Wallace Jr.'s unlucky technical problem at the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix left him in critical condition on the Cup Series points table. With the DNF adding just 2 points to his total, the season hasn’t been great for the Alabama native so far.
Since the conclusion of the race, he now stands in 20th place with 122 points in the latest Cup Series rankings. Luck hasn't seemed to be in his favor as he crashed last year as well.
