Defending champion Chase Elliott was disqualified from Sunday’s Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race for five missing lug nuts, NASCAR made the announcement following post-race inspection.
The Hendrick Motorsports man will receive only one point and placed last (39th) in the Ally 400. Elliott will also loses the playoff point earned for winning the race’s first stage, and Kurt Busch will be credited with winning the stage.
The way I read the rulebook, a race DQ for four missing/loose lug nuts is the "only" penalty … no crew chief suspension. Elliott will be credited with a 39th-place finish.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 21, 2021
Elliott originally won stage one to score 10 points (plus one playoff point), and he finished in seventh place in stage two to score four more points.
The 25-y-o HMS driver then took to Twitter questioning NASCAR if it had come off and he had crash, if he would then get to keep his stage points.
Stewart-Haas Racing trying to figure out poor 2021 Cup Series form
If it had come off and we crash, we would then get to keep our stage points? Honest question https://t.co/XP11khBiv4
— Chase Elliott (@chaseelliott) June 21, 2021
NASCAR has updated us to tell us that Elliott had five loose/missing lug nuts (obviously not all on the same wheel).
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 21, 2021
“It’s unfortunate,” said Chad Knaus, vice president of competition at Hendrick Motorsports. “The lug nuts on the No. 9 were loose at the end of the race. At the end of the race Chase had a vibration. There were quite a few tire issues through the course of the day so they were hopeful that it was just a cord or something in the tire that was creating the vibration so they chose to run the race out. It’s unfortunate that the lug nuts vibrated loose on the left rear and now we are sitting here with a disqualification for the 9 team.”