AJ Allmendinger and JTG Daugherty Racing are facing major penalties after NASCAR officials discovered Almendinger’s car had three loose lug nuts following Sunday’s Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
AJ Allmendinger facing major penalties for 3 loose lug nuts at Atlanta
The violation will likely result in Allmendinger losing 35 points, while his crew chief will be suspended three races and fined $65,000.
Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
Allmendinger faces a 35-point deduction, while crew chief Randall Burnett could be suspended for three races and fined $65,000. NASCAR will make a penalty announcement on either Tuesday or Wednesday.
The points forfeiture is especially consequential. Without the sanctions Allmendinger, who finished 26th on Sunday and third in the season-opening Daytona 500, would rank 11th in the standings. However, he would plummet to 35th overall after the points penalty.
NASCAR revised its penalty structure for lug nut-related violations last fall after several crew chiefs were suspended for having missing or non-secure lug nuts during postrace inspection. Under the new policy a car found with 19 of 20 lug nuts fastened results in only a $10,000 fine. For 18 lug nuts, a crew chief is suspended one race and fined $20,000. For 17 or fewer lug nuts, a crew chief is suspended three races and fined $65,000.
The escalation of penalties is because NASCAR feels a team was either careless or attempted to circumvent the rule to save time on pit road, thereby creating a safety risk due to the likelihood of a wheel coming loose.
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