NASCAR officials penalized the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford team for a detached wheel during last Sunday’s Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Chris Buescher finished last in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 after his right-front wheel became unfastened, and his crash into the outside retaining wall forced a caution period in the 28th of 267 laps.
No. 17 crew members Nicholas Patterson (jack) and Jakob Prall (front tire changer) were suspended for the next two Cup Series events — through the March 17 race scheduled at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Lug nut violations:
In the Xfinity Series, the crew chiefs for two teams were docked $5,000:
No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet (crew chief Phillip Bell)
No. 42 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet (crew chief Andrew Abbott)
A single Craftsman Truck Series team was penalized with a $2,500 fine:
No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford (crew chief Joe Shear Jr.)
