NASCAR announced Wednesday that it will solidify its post-race inspection penalty structure for infractions stemming from the laser inspection station (LIS), eliminating the P2 and P3 levels for those violations. The P4 level for LIS infractions remains, and violations at this level will remain encumbered.
NASCAR also announced that neither the No. 78 driven by Martin Truex Jr. nor the No. 48 driven by Jimmie Johnson will be penalized for failing post-race LIS following last Sunday’s Chicagoland Speedway.
“The use of the LIS platform in post-race was really driven by the industry,” NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell said in a teleconference Wednesday evening. “We had everyone collaborating to create the appropriate deterrent penalties if there was a violation. As we headed toward the Chase, we were asked to further develop an enhanced deterrent for the Chase. The important development was the new language surrounding the concept of an encumbered win.”
Martin Truex Jr. won the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400, assuring the No. 78Furniture Row Racing team of a berth in the Round of 12 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Jimmie Johnson finished Sunday’s race in 12th place in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Both would have been assessed P2-level penalties for infractions discovered in post-race laser inspection. Those penalties were minor in nature, most people in the industry would agree, O’Donnell said. But assessing both teams penalties would be inherently unfair given the Chase structure. So NASCAR decided not to penalize either team and going forward will punish only P4-level post-race inspection infractions, which would be considered egregious.
“This was the most fair decision we could get to,” said O’Donnell, explaining that a points penalty assessed to a team still trying to get into the next round of the Chase would have dramatically different effects than on a team that is already locked into the Round of 12 with a win at Chicago. “Those penalties will not have the same impact on the competitors, based on the Chase format and the increased emphasis on win bonuses.”
