By: Dustin Long / MRN
NASCAR has severely punished Joe Gibbs Racing, Matt Kenseth and Toyota Racing Development for a violation with the engine of Kenseth’s race-winning car last weekend at Kansas Speedway.
Kenseth’s No. 20 team was penalized for violating a rule that requires connecting rods to weigh a minimum 525.0 grams. Lee White, president of Toyota Racing Development, said in a statement that one of the connecting rods was “approximately three grams under the legal minimum weight.”
JGR said it will appeal the penalties. The infraction was discovered this week during a routine post-race inspection at the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, N.C.
Penalties to Kenseth:
– Loses 50 points.
– The pole he won at Kansas will not qualify him for next year’s Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway.
– He will not earn the three bonus points for the Kansas win which would be added if he makes the Chase. The victory will not count toward Wild Card eligibility.
What do these penalties mean? Kenseth drops from eighth in the standings to 14th. He has 202 points, the same as Jeff Gordon, and sits 25 points out of 10th place. Should Kenseth need a Wild Card spot to make the Chase, the Kansas win will not count.
In terms of Wild Card eligibility, he has one win this season. Also, Kenseth will need to win another pole and pass inspection after that weekend to compete in next year’s Sprint Unlimited. Even with all the penalties, Kenseth’s win remains in the record book so he still has 26 career victories.
Penalties to Joe Gibbs Racing:
– Crew chief Jason Ratcliff has been fined $200,000 and suspended until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup points events (and the Sprint All-Star race). He also is on probation until Dec. 31.
– Joe Gibbs loses 50 car owner points.
– Has the owner’s license for the No. 20 car suspended until the completion of the next six points races. Therefore, he’s ineligible to receive car owner points for the No. 20 team during the next six points races.
– Does not earn the three bonus points for the Kansas win to be added if the car makes the Chase.
– The win will not count toward Wild Card eligibility.
What do these penalties mean? The No. 20 car won’t earn owner points for the next six Sprint Cup races. With the team planning to appeal, Ratcliff will be at Richmond International Raceway this weekend.
Penalties to Toyota Racing Development:
The loss of five Sprint Cup Series Manufacturers points. Toyota Racing Development provides the engines to Joe Gibbs Racing. The penalty drops Toyota out of first place. It now has 53 points. Chevrolet now leads the Manufacturers Standings with 55 points.
In his statement, White called the infraction a “simple oversight” on behalf of TRD.
“During NASCAR’s routine post-race teardown of Matt Kenseth’s race-winning car and engine from Kansas Speedway, one of our engine connecting rods weighed in approximately three grams under the legal minimum weight of 525 grams,” White said. “None of the other seven connecting rods were found to be under the minimum weight.
“We take full responsibility for this issue with the engine used by the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) team this past Sunday in Kansas. JGR is not involved in the process of selecting parts or assembling the Cup Series engines. It was a simple oversight on TRD’s part and there was no intent to deceive or to gain any type of competitive advantage.
“Toyota is a company that was built on integrity and that remains one of the guiding principles of the company. The goal of TRD has always been – and will continue to be – building high-performance engines that are reliable, durable and powerful; and within the guidelines established by NASCAR.”
