Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, Brad Keselowski, has been hit with a 25 point penalty and the loss of his crew chief for seven races after NASCAR ruled the team used unapproved parts at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend.
Team-mate Joey Logano has received a similar penalty.
Both Penske cars were deemed to have used unapproved parts in their rear-end housings, with both teams’ crew chiefs handed a $100,000 fine, have been suspended for the next six points-scoring races – plus the non-points Sprint All-Star Race – and placed on probation until December 31st.
Keselowski and Logano have each been docked 25 championship points, with similar penalties handed to the two cars in the Owners’ Championship.
The alleged illegal parts were spotted by NASCAR during pre-race inspection and confiscated. Both teams had to resubmit their cars for inspection, resulting in Logano almost missing the start of the race.
There were also penalties handed to the #56 Michael Waltrip Racing car, driven by Martin Truex Jr., after the car failed to meet the minimum front-end height during post-race inspections. As a result crew chief Chad Johnston has been fined $25,000 and placed on probation until June 5th.
After the race Johnston said that the shock absorber refused to rebound in post-race inspection, suggesting they might have been damaged during the NRA 500 on Saturday night.
All three teams are appealing the penalties.
