Following a messy weekend of NASCAR National Series competition at Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR has handed down several penalties for organizations spanning across the three divisions.
In the NASCAR Cup Series, Trackhouse Racing has a pair of pit crew members Aslan Pugh (rear changer) and Jonpatrik Kealy (jackman) suspended for the next two NASCAR Cup Series events at Darlington and Bristol.
The penalty has been handed down by NASCAR after a wheel came detached from Shane Van Gisbergen’s No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet in Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway.
Kenyatta Houston (rear changer) and Jordan Ferguson (jackman) will serve as the interim pit crew members for Van Gisbergen over the next two weeks. Houston serves as the front changer for Connor Zilisch in JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The biggest penalty of the race weekend belongs to Sammy Smith, who lunged into the final set of corners and wrecked Taylor Gray for the race lead on the final lap of Saturday’s US Marine Corps 250 at Martinsville.
Smith has been fined $25,000 and assessed with the loss of 50 driver points, dropping him from sixth place in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings to 13th, where he’ll sit one point below the postseason cutline heading to Darlington.
Taylor Gray and Jeb Burton were also handed down fines by NASCAR following Martinsville, to the tune of $5,000 for what the sanctioning body is calling “infield care center conduct”.
Two additional, less severe penalties were handed out to Haas Factory Team (a fine of $5,000) and Spire Motorsports (a fine of $2,500) for not having a lug nut properly installed in post-race checks.
