By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer
Nearly a week after the TSport 200 presented by Warn Industries at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Clermont, Ind. NASCAR officials have announced a penalty for a team that failed to qualify for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.
NASCAR officials found the violation, which centered around the shifter boot on Jonathan Shafer’s No. 69 MBM Motorsports RAM 1500 team in pre-qualifying inspection.
Per the penalty report, the team committed a safety violation during pre-qualifying inspection regarding the shifter boot found in Sections 14.2.3.6 A & B of the NASCAR Rule Book.
The team was fined $5,000 and docked 25 owner points. Shafer was also penalized 25 driver points.
The issues in inspection likely had no effect on Shafer’s qualifying effort. The No. 69 RAM was the slowest of the 38 trucks attempting the 36-truck field. With the team’s position in owner points at the time, they failed to qualify, being among the lowest in provisional ranking of those entered.
As a result of the penalty Shafer, who has attempted three races this season, now has negative 25 points. The MBM team is now also in the red in owner points, 14 markers to the negative.
Drivers and teams being pushed into the red in driver and owner points is not uncommon in NASCAR competition. However, few drivers and teams have ended the season with negative points. Both Shafer and MBM now have nine races to get back into a positive points tally.
The next Craftsman Truck Series race is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 14 at Richmond (Vir.) Raceway.
Broadcast coverage for the Black’s Tire 250 at Richmond starts Friday, Aug. 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET, live on Fox Sports 1, the NASCAR Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.