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The sanctioning body has issued penalties to four teams after the trip to Dover Motor Speedway. Three received suspensions after their respective entries lost wheels on the race track while the fourth received a minor fine.
NASCAR announced the penalties on May 3. The No. 11 team of Denny Hamlin headlines the list after the stock car lost its wheel exiting pit road. Crew chief Chris Gabehart, jackman Derrell Edwards, and front-tire changer Blake Houston all received suspensions for the next four races. This includes the All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway on May 22.
The No. 16 team of AJ Allmendinger also lost a wheel during the Cup Series race on May 2, resulting in the suspensions of three key figures. Crew chief Matt Swiderski, front-tire changer Keiston France, and jackman Jonathan Willard will all miss the next four events on the Cup Series calendar.
The No. 1 team of Sam Mayer rounds out the list of suspensions. The JR Motorsports entry lost a wheel during the Xfinity Series race on April 30. Crew chief Taylor Moyer, rear-tire changer Orane Ossowski, and jackman Markus Pierce-Brewster all received four-race suspensions.
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The No. 16 Xfinity Series team of Allmendinger also received a minor penalty following the weekend at Dover Motor Speedway. NASCAR fined crew chief Bruce Schlicker $5,000 due to one unsecured lug nut in post-race inspection.
The Wheel Disrupted Hamlin’s Strong Start
The lost wheel disrupted what had started as a strong performance by the No. 11 team. Hamlin showcased speed at Dover and used it to take the lead during Stage 1. He captured the first green and white checkered flag of the day and headed to pit road for fresh tires. However, this stop resulted in the loss of the wheel, which sent Hamlin back down pit road.
Hamlin previously addressed the lost tires during a race weekend at Richmond. He had to put on his owner’s hat and discuss the wheel that Bubba Wallace’s stock car lost at Circuit of the Americas. He said that he saw evidence indicating that the No. 23 had tire issues from the first lap on, but he also noted that the old tire system had more room for error.
“There is a concern. There is a lot of wheels falling off,” Hamlin told media members on April 2, video courtesy of FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass. “You would think with the single lug you wouldn’t have that. We had… you know, if you missed one or two nuts before, you always had backups. When you have one, that’s it. It’s going to come off.”
Mayer Also Started His Weekend Well
Mayer and Hamlin experienced similar situations during the race weekend at Dover. They both started their respective races well and captured the Stage 1 wins. Once they headed down pit road for tires, they lost a wheel and their position on the track.
As the FOX broadcast showed, the No. 1 pit crew knew there was an issue before Mayer even headed back onto the track. However, it was too late to do anything as the car had already left the pit box to go back out onto the track.
Mayer expressed frustration about the incident after the race, but he also acknowledged that there was nothing he could do about it. He could only move forward and work with the person that replaced Moyer on top of the pit box.
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