Chase Elliott’s championship hopes took a hit when NASCAR announced Tuesday that he would be docked 15 points after officials determined Elliott’s team made illegal aerodynamic modifications to the No. 24 during the Cup Series playoff opener Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway.
NASCAR penalizes Chase Elliott for infraction at Chicagoland
Chase Elliott loses 15 driver points, and two personnel from his team are each suspended one race.
Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
The sanctions are believed to be related to video that surfaced showing crew members from Elliott’s team placing small pieces of tape on the No. 24 car before the Tales of the Turtles 400, then removing the tape after the completion of the playoff race.
Elliott finished second behind winner Martin Truex Jr., a result that is now encumbered. The Hendrick Motorsports driver also loses the bonus point he earned for winning the second stage. Additional penalties included one-race suspensions for crew chief Alan Gustafson and car chief Joshua Kirk. Gustafson was also fined $25,000.
Hendrick will not appeal the penalties. The team named Kenny Francis interim crew chief for the Cup race Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
What it means: Elliott falls from sixth to eighth in the series points standings, 18 points above the provisional cut line to transfer to the second round. Barring consecutive poor finishes or additional penalties, he should still advance to the next round.
The most compelling thing about the penalties is if NASCAR acted because a competitor alerted officials to the infraction on Elliott’s car, as video and photographs have been circulating among teams since Sunday night. If true, it demonstrates the garage self-polices and is willing to turn in someone believed to be skirting the rules.
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