NASCAR drops the hammer: One team hit hard with penalty over Texas infraction

NASCAR has handed down a severe penalty to Kaulig Racing after the Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. The No.10 team's crew chief, Kevin Walter, has been suspended for one race after officials discovered a lug-nut violation.

Driving the No.10 Chevy, Daniel Dye finished last Saturday's Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 in 11th place. When his car was subjected to post-race inspections, two loose lug nuts were found. The infraction resulted in a fine of $10,000 according to sections 8.8.10.4a (Tires and Wheels) in the NASCAR rule book.

Additionally, his crew chief, Kevin Walters, was suspended from the upcoming Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR analyst Bob Pockrass shared the news on his X handle with the following caption:

"As expected, Daniel Dye crew chief Kevin Walter suspended for Charlotte race and fined $10K for two missing/loose lug nuts following Xfinity race at Texas."

The Xfinity Series will be on a hiatus for the next two weekends, before returning to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 24. Fans can watch the race on The CW network at 4:30 p.m. ET or listen to live updates on SiriusXM NASCAR radio.

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NASCAR announces rotating model for championship weekends from 2026 onwards

NASCAR is set to conclude its 2026 championship weekend at Homestead-Miami, but additional details about the title-race triple header have been announced. The sanctioning body has revealed that a rotation model will be adopted to hold the championship decider in a variety of tracks each year.

Phoenix Raceway has been home to the title-race since 2020, with Homestead-Miami previously taking the honours from 2002 to 2019. Moving forward, other oval tracks are being considered to host the season finale, while Superspeedways and road courses are lower on the priority list owning to it's unpredictable nature.

Addressing the media, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer, Ben Kennedy said (via NASCAR),

"If you’ve watched a lot of other sports properties that are moving the location around year after year, part of that is to build up pent-up demand. But part of it is that variability in a lot of the markets, and then a little bit of it is what we talked about as well is just having a little bit of differentiation as it relates to the competition and racing product as well."

"Having the playoffs be more unpredictable every year, the championship venue to be at a different location, I think gives you the ability to see different teams and drivers kind of rise to the occasion to be able to be crowned a champion,” he added.

Kennedy also noted that Homestead-Miami Speedway and Phoenix Raceway will remain as part of the rotation. Notably, the Florida track is scheduled for facility upgrades till the end of November 2026 to allow for better amenities and promotional plans for the season finale.

It'll be interesting to see which other tracks are in the mix, as much of the decision comes down to the weather conditions at season's end in November. Some candidates that emerge to the forefront are Las Vegas Motor Speedway for its warm weather, and Atlanta Motor Speedway, which has hosted the Series finale from 1987 to 2000.