NASCAR Slaps Chris Buescher With Huge Penalty

What’s Happening?

Chris Buescher’s No. 17 Ford was found to be illegal and hit with an L1 penalty by NASCAR after being taken to the R&D center. The driver and team were docked 60 points, crew chief Scott Graves was suspended, and the team received a $75k fine. The team has not yet announced if it will appeal.

• The penalty was for unapproved modifications to the front bumper cover, which violates rule 14.5.4.G in NASCAR’s rulebook.
• The driver and owner lose 60 points apiece, which drops Chris Buescher from 12th to 24th in points, in addition to 5 playoff points and a $75,000 fine.
• In the Cup Series, drivers earn 40 points for winning a race and 20 points for winning both stages, plus one extra point for the fastest lap. This means Buescher has been hit with one race’s worth of points.
• Buescher will be without his crew chief for two weeks and will return for the June 1st race at Nashville Superspeedway. His suspension is valid through Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• Doug Randolph, a veteran who joined RFK Racing in the offseason, will be the crew chief for Chris Buescher at the All-Star race.

Team Statement

Buescher is fresh off an 8th-place finish at Kansas, which marked his 6th top-ten of the year. Though he sat comfortably above the playoff cutline, he is now at a 27-point disadvantage to 16th place, his teammate Ryan Preece, who holds the final spot by 7 points over Kyle Busch with 14 races to go in the regular season.

Eric Estepp does an excellent analysis and rundown on Buescher’s penalty and RFK’s recent misfortunes, with all the details you need to know. Watch the video linked below and learn more.

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