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NASCAR issued an L2-level penalty to the No. 6 driver Brad Keselowski and his Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team after discovering that the team had modified a single source supplied part.
The violation was discovered when the sanctioned body took the No. 6 Ford Mustang to their R&D Center following the last Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The penalties fall under Sections 14.1 and 14.5 in the rule book of the governing body. These include the docking of 100 driver points and 10 playoff points from Brad Keselowski should he qualify for the Cup Series playoffs.
In addition, the team will be docked 100 owner points, and crew chief Matt McCall was fined $100,000 and suspended for the next four Cup Series races. On Twitter, NASCAR’s official account shared the news, stating that:
“NASCAR issues deduction of 100 owner points, 100 driver points and 10 NASCAR Playoff Points to the No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team for modifying a single source supplied part. Crew chief Matt McCall has been fined $100,000 and suspended for the next four races.”
Before the penalty was imposed, Keselowski was 16th on the points table with 122. With a deduction of 100 points, he falls to 35th in the standings with 22 points, which is behind every full-time Cup Series driver.
To qualify for the playoffs, Keselowski must finish in the top-30 with a win by the end of the regular season.
Officials announced the penalty structure before the start of the 2022 season with the advent of the Next Gen car. They recommended that teams adhere to a set of strict rules regarding parts and modifications.
What are NASCAR's Level-2 penalty options for L2 violations?
While this is no doubt a huge loss for both the team and the driver, it is not the most difficult version of an L2 penalty.
According to guidelines issued in January just before the start of the season, here is what 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
