NASCAR suspends crew chiefs for Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick

NASCAR issued heavy penalties to Brad Keselowski and Team Penske on Wednesday after Keselowski’s car failed inspection following Sunday’s Monster Energy Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Keselowski and team owner Roger Penske were docked 35 points, respectively, while crew chief Paul Wolfe was suspended three races and fined $65,000. The penalties stem from Keselowski’s car failing to pass the laser inspection station that gauges the weight and measures of a car, with the issue related to the rear suspension skew.

Wolfe will miss races at Auto Club Speedway (Sunday), Martinsville Speedway (April 2) and Texas Motor Speedway (April 9). Team Penske named Brian Wilson Keselowski’s interim crew chief at ACS in Fontana, Calif.

“We have acknowledged the penalties levied against the No. 2 team following last weekend’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway,” Team Penske said in a statement. “The race cars returned to the race shop today and we are in the process of evaluating the area in question.”

Keselowski, the 2012 Cup Series champion, finished fifth at Phoenix and had been ranked second in points to leader Kyle Larson after four of 26 regular season races, but now falls to fourth overall. Because he won March 5 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Keselowski is already virtually qualified for the Cup playoffs and that is not impacted by Wednesday’s sanctions.

The points penalty, however, could prove consequential.

Drivers who finish the regular season 10th or better in points earn additional points, which are carried into the playoffs and applied to a drivers total entering the first, second and third playoff rounds.

This system was introduced in the offseason as a way to reward drivers who excel throughout the regular season and could dictate which four drivers advance to the championship finale.

“I think it’s real important to explain why points matter this year,” Keselowski said on Fox Sports 1’s Race Hub on Wednesday night. “Last year, you got a win and you locked in and you got to the next round. This year with points, you still lock in with wins. The difference is there’s a huge points bonus for having the most points at the end of the season that carries all the way through the playoffs, and you only get that bonus if you’re one of the best cars and leading up front at the end of the regular season, which requires having a lot of points. Thirty-five points is a pretty big deal.”

NASCAR also issued penalties to Kevin Harvick’s team after officials discovered an unapproved track bar slider assembly on the No. 4 car after it was taken back to NASCAR’s research and development center in Concord, N.C.

Harvick loses 10 driver points and Stewart-Haas Racing 10 owner points, while crew chief Rodney Childers is suspended one race and fined $25,000. With the points deduction, Harvick falls from seventh in the standings to eighth.

SHR is appealing Wednesday’s penalties and Childers’ suspension has been deferred. Penske has yet to announce if it will file an appeal.