NASCAR Cup Series crew chief Kevin Bellicourt has been suspended, officially, on Tuesday. NASCAR made the announcement in their weekly post-event penalty report.
Bellicourt is the crew chief for the No. 77 Spire Motorsports machine, which had two unsecured lug nuts in post-race inspection at Richmond.
The No. 77 team finished 27th in Saturday night’s race with Justin Haley behind the wheel of their car.
Following the Federated Auto Parts 400, it was expected Bellicourt would receive a one-race suspension and he has.
NASCAR has also fined Bellicourt $20,000 in addition to the suspension due to the infraction.
With Kevin Bellicourt suspended there has been no word on who will fill in on the pit box this weekend at Bristol. And as of the time of this posting, the No. 77 team has not submitted a team roster sheet.
Race-Winning Crew Chief Also Fined
Also on Tuesday, NASCAR announced a $10,000 fine for Martin Truex Jr.’s crew chief James Small. Despite winning the race at Richmond, the No. 19 car had one unsecured lug nut, which resulted in the penalty.
Xfinity Crew Chief Busted For Loose Lug Nut
Jason Ratcliff, Harrison Burton’s crew chief in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, was also busted for an unsecured lug nut at Richmond. Ratcliff has been fined $5,000 for the one loose lug nut after Saturday’s NXS event.
