NASCAR Cup Series team Front Row Motorsports has copped a huge penalty after modifying a single source supplied part on Michael McDowell’s car.
The penalty is issued as an L2-level penalty and has major consequences for the team.
Crew chief Blake Harris has been fined USD $100,000 (AUD $140,000) and suspended for four races for the incident, as well as NASCAR docking 100 drivers’ and 100 team points in the championship.
If McDowell is to win one of the next five races and make the NASCAR Playoffs, he will be deducted 10 playoff points as well.
This comes after a sixth-place finish at the recent Pocono race, following the disqualifications of first and second-placed drivers Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.
The penalty is under the new stricter Next Gen rules and penalty guidelines, with Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing copping an almost identical penalty earlier in the year.
McDowell, the 2021 Daytona 500 champion, currently sits 26th in the points standings, and will still be looking to win a race to make the playoffs in the remaining five races of the regular season.
