Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s road manager steps down after accusing Brad Keselowski’s team of cheating

Was there something amiss with Brad Keselowski’s car that may have aided him in winning Sunday’s race at Chicagoland Speedway, the first event in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup?

Mike Hoag, the road manager for Dale Earnhardt Jr., seemed to think so, posting a series of since-deleted tweets remarking that very observation. Jenna Fryer retweeted one:

It is important to note that NASCAR officials found no violations on the No. 2 car during post-race inspection. NASCAR has taken the car back to its research center for further evaluation, as the sanctioning body does each week.

Keselowski later responded with a tweet directed at Hoag.

In the winner’s post-race media session, crew chief Paul Wolfe was asked about the alleged disparities on the right side of the No. 2 car. Wolfe said he didn’t know of damage, and if any had occurred he surmised it likely came during transition from the racing surface to the apron.

“When you go down on the flat, a lot of times that will cause a little bit of damage,” Wolfe said. “That could have been what you were seeing there.”

Keselowski scored a series-best four victories during the regular season, earning the No. 1 playoff seed. Chicagoland was the first of 10 Chases that will determine the Sprint Cup champion.

If any infractions are found on Keselowski’s race-winning car, NASCAR would announce any penalties Tuesday.

Update:

On Twitter Tuesday, Hoag announced he would be leaving JR Motorsports.