Lost in the hoopla of Denny Hamlin’s victory at Chicagoland Speedway, and also overshadowed by the post-race altercation between Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson, a certain career milestone happened for one of NASCAR’s most legendary drivers this past Sunday.
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There are two races remaining in the opening round of the Chase before four drivers will be cut from the 16-driver field.
In addition to the point penalty, crew chief Billy Scott has been fined $75,000, suspended for the next three Sprint Cup events and placed on NASCAR probation until the end of the season.
Michael Waltrip Racing’s time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series started with a big penalty.
Michael Waltrip Racing, Bowyer’s vehicle owner, will appeal the penalties.
Bowyer struggled at Chicagoland, finishing a pedestrian 19th.
Coach Dan Quinn stresses that his team is not taking the Cowboys (2-0) lightly.
The crew chief issue only further complicates the task of winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship for Bowyer, as he entered the Chase in the sixteenth position, and his 19th place finish in Chicago means he needs to win one of the next two races, New Hampshire, or Dover, in order to advance to the next round of the Chase. NASCAR has requested to the Appeals Administrator of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel that the appeals process described in the rule book be expedited.
NASCAR penalized Danica Patrick’s crew chief Daniel Knost and auto chief Pete White on Wednesday for failing pre-qualifying inspection for the Chicagoland Speedway Sprint Cup race on September 18.
“MWR has made mistakes in the past, but we feel we are correct in this instance”, the team said.
A spokesman for Stewart-Haas Racing confirmed that Gibson still intended to fly to New Hampshire as soon as he was able, but would likely miss Friday’s track activities. Now, as MWR is in the twilight of its existence as a two-car team, its slim championship hopes also appear dashed unless this penalty is overturned in its favor.
Between the points deficit Bowyer faces as it stands and his crew chief’s apparent impending absence, he’ll have to draw on his prior success in Loudon to overcome the adversity.
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With the penalty, Bowyer drops from 15th to 16th in the standings, 31 points behind current 12th-place driver Jeff Gordon.
