CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR’s playoffs are set to begin with a new set of rules that gives the sanctioning body the power to issue far stiffer penalties — so stringent that a driver could lose the championship if his team fails inspection.
The increased penalties announced Wednesday give NASCAR the authority to levy a harsh penalty should a car fail a post-race trip to the Laser Inspection Station.
How stiff?
A winning team would not be able to use the victory to advance to the next round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
The same penalty could apply to a team that does not have enough secure lug nuts on a car’s wheels at the end of a race.
The new punishments, under guidelines applying to “encumbered finishes,” will go into effect if a team fails the post-race laser by a significant amount or if three or more of the 20 lug nuts aren’t secure after a race.
A winning team will not be stripped of the victory, but the benefits that come with a win could be docked.
The guidelines came the same day NASCAR docked Martin Truex Jr. 35 points and fined crew chief Cole Pearn $15,000 because Truex’s car failed the laser inspection Saturday night at Richmond.
The points deduction does not apply to Truex for the Chase, which begins Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway, because the points have been reset to seed the 16-driver field.
Truex begins the Chase seeded sixth.
Among the significant changes announced Wednesday was one addressing missing lug nuts.
A crew chief will no longer be suspended for one missing lug nut because NASCAR found it did not give teams a significant advantage. Monetary fines will be administered for one or two missing lug nuts, with a suspension warranted for anything else. There has been discussion all season about lug nuts, with the idea that the less time spent securing them leads to a quicker pit stop.