Following this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a total of eight crew chiefs have been handed monetary penalties by NASCAR, after their vehicles failed to have five properly secured lug nuts during the weekly post-race lug check.
Section 10.9.19.4.a TIRES AND WHEELS: “All tire(s)/wheel(s) and all five lug nuts must be installed in a safe and secure manner during the Event.”
— NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series Rule Book
In the NASCAR Cup Series crew chiefs Rodney Childers, Luke Lambert, Ben Beshore, James Small and Greg Erwin were all handed $10,000 fines from NASCAR, following the conclusion of Sunday’s Pennzoil 400. The five cars that failed the post-race lug check finished third (Busch), sixth (Truex), 14th (Buescher), 16th (DiBenedetto), 20th (Harvick).
Mike Shiplett – crew chief for the 25th-place finishing car of Cole Custer — has been fined $20,000 and has been suspended for one points-paying NASCAR Cup Series event – Sunday’s InstaCart 500 at Phoenix Raceway — for having two lug nuts unsecured in the series’ weekly post-race check.
According to NASCAR’s preliminary entry list and further confirmed by the team’s pre-race advance, Davin Restivo is set to serve as Custer’s crew chief for Sunday’s race at Phoenix. Restivo served as an engineer for Cole Custer’s first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Kentucky Speedway last season.
For the second week in a row, Jason Trinchere has been fined $5,000 by NASCAR following the conclusion of Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300. Trinchere serves as the crew chief for AJ Allmendinger’s No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro, which visited victory lane for the first time in 2021.
In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Tripp Bruce has been handed a $2,500 fine from NASCAR following the conclusion of Friday Night’s Bucked Up 200. Bruce serves as the crew chief for Halmar Friesen Racing’s No. 52 Toyota Tundra, which finished fourth-place with Stewart Friesen behind the wheel.
