MENCS: NASCAR Announces Texas Motor Speedway Penalties

NASCAR announced penalties following its weekend of racing at Texas Motor Speedway on Wednesday morning. The penalties included a number of indefinite suspensions and one violation discovered during post-race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series inspection.

NASCAR members Mason Mitchell, not ARCA Racing Series driver and owner, Charles Moles and Jeremy Murphy, have all been suspended indefinitely for violating NASCAR’s Substance Abuse Policy.

The penalty in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage was for the No. 9 Chevrolet of Chase Elliott. Crew chief Alan Gustafson will be suspended for the next two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races and fined $50,000. Team will also lose 20 driver and owner points as a result for violating section 20.4.8.1 (Rear Window Support and Structure Note: Rear Window Support Braces must keep the rear window glass rigid in all direction at all times.)

Hendrick Motorsports later issued the following statement:

“Hendrick Motorsports will not appeal the penalty announced today by NASCAR stemming from an unintentional support bracket failure at Texas Motor Speedway.

Kenny Francis, 48, has been named interim crew chief of the No. 9 NASCAR Cup Series team with driver Chase Elliott for the April 15 event at Bristol Motor Speedway and the April 21 event at Richmond Raceway. The Jacksonville, Florida, native, who was Elliott’s crew chief for five points races in 2015 and one in 2017, currently serves as Hendrick Motorsports’ vehicle technical director and has 17 wins, 75 top-five finishes and 149 top-10s as a Cup Series crew chief.”

There were no penalties found in the NASCAR XFINITY Series garage.

Brett Winningham
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