Elliott team penalized, crew chief suspended

Tuesday, 19 September 2017


By Kelly Crandall / Image by Barry Cantrell/LAT


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The Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 team has been issued an L1-level penalty following the race at Chicagoland Speedway, resulting in a one-race suspension for crew chief Alan Gustafson.
Under section 20.20 of the NASCAR rule book (Assembled Vehicle Overall Rules), the team was found to have modified components to affect the aerodynamic properties of the vehicle in the opening race of the Playoffs.


Gustafson has been fined $25,000 and he and car chief Joshua Kirk have been suspended for the next Monster Energy NASCAR cup Series race (New Hampshire). The team was also docked 15 driver and owner points while Chase Elliott's second-place finish has been ruled encumbered.
The penalty drops Elliott from sixth to eighth in the Playoffs standings and he loses the playoff point he earned for winning the second stage of the Tales of the Turtles 400.
Hendrick Motorsports will not appeal the penalty. Kenny Francis will serve as the interim crew chief for the No. 24 team at New Hampshire. Kevin Hulstein will serve as the team's car chief.
Additional Chicagoland penalties:
Joe Gibbs Racing was issued a safety penalty after Matt Kenseth's No. 20 Toyota had one unsecured lug nut. Crew chief Jason Ratcliff has been fined $10,000.
In the Xfinity Series, the same penalty was assessed to the No. 98 team, which competed with Darrell Wallace Jr. and finished 10th. Crew chief Jonathan Hanson has been fined $5,000.