By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor
Kevin Harvick’s dominant performance at Las Vegas Motor Speedway came with a high cost.
NASCAR released the penalty report for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 on Wednesday, revealing a steep set penalties for Harvick and Stewart-Haas Racing. The sanctioning body found two infractions after inspection at the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C.
Harvick’s No. 4 Ford was determined to have rear window support braces that failed to keep the rear window glass right in all directions act all times, a requirement of the rule book. The machine was also found to have an unapproved right-side rocker panel extension, with the part made of steel instead of aluminum.
The No. 4 SHR team was issued an L1-level penalty. Crew chief Rodney Childers has been fined $50,000 for the incident, with car chief Robert Smith being suspended for the next two races. Harvick and the No. 4 team were docked 20 points apiece for the infractions.
As part of the penalty Harvick has also lost the seven playoff points that accompany his two stage wins and race win in Las Vegas, along with any tiebreakers that they could be utilized for.
SHR Vice President of Competition Greg Zipadelli released the following statement after the penalty:
“Late today, NASCAR made us aware of a penalty they’re imposing on our No. 4 Cup Series team. We’re going to take the time and evaluate our options, and we plan to continue dialogue with NASCAR to fully understand the rationale behind the penalty.”
In addition to Harvick’s penalty, No. 55 crew chief Todd Parrott was fine $10,000 when the machine was found with one unsecured lug nut after the race.