Ryan Newman will lose his crew chief and two other key crew members for six weeks after NASCAR’s final appeals officer upheld sanctions issued against Richard Childress Racing for manipulating its tires.
Richard Childress Racing loses final appeal, Ryan Newman’s crew chief suspended 6 races
The penalties issued against Richard Childress Racing and Ryan Newman’s team for manipulating its tires were upheld.
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The crew chief for the No. 31 team, Luke Lambert, along with engineer Philip Surgen and tire specialist James Bender will begin serving their suspensions this weekend at Kansas Speedway. They will return for the Fourth of July weekend race at Daytona International Speedway.
In addition to the suspensions, the points and monetary penalties that were reduced on RCR’s initial appeal will remain. The 75-point reduction Newman incurred and Lambert’s $125,000 were scaled back to 50 points and $75,000 during an April 17 appeal hearing.
“We feel we had a compelling case and still feel we were in the right and the facts presented today would have proved that,” RCR said in a statement. “We do appreciate the opportunity to be heard.
“We stand behind our suspended team members and look forward to their return. We will now move on and continue our goals of winning races and making the Chase.”
The penalties stem from tires confiscated off Newman’s car during the March 22 at Auto Club Speedway. Officials determined the No. 31 team had been bleeding air out of its tires, which gives a driver a better handling car due to increased grip and allows to maintain higher speeds over long green flag runs. Citing both safety and competition purposes, NASCAR prohibits the practice.
RCR named Todd Parrott to fill-in for Lambert. Parrott is former championship-winning crew chief leading Dale Jarrett to the 1999 Cup Series title and has won 31 races throughout his career. He currently oversees RCR’s Xfinity Series operation.
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