NASCAR has penalized and suspended two teams in the Hendrick Motorsports for violating its sealed engine policy.
The two teams to be penalized are the Nos. 9 and 48 teams. The penalty came after the discovery of the use of a sealed engine from the No. 9 Chevrolet of Chase Elliott in Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The Cup Series rulebook states:
“When the long block is sealed the engine must be used in the same vehicle number the next time it is used.”
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Alan Gustafson and Greg Ives, crew chief to No.9 and No.48 team respectively, were fined $50,000 each. The teams were also penalized with 25 owner and driver points deductions.
HMS released a statement after the penalty.
“Due to an administrative error, one of our sealed engines assigned to the No. 9 car was unintentionally allocated to our No. 48 team at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Although the engine passed technical inspection and absolutely no competitive advantage was gained, we acknowledge NASCAR’s process was not followed correctly in this instance.
“The rules regarding the assignment of sealed engines are clear, and we understand and respect their decision to issue a penalty. We apologize for the mistake and have taken steps to ensure it will not be repeated.”
Other suspensions include Scott Maxim, HMS’ director of track engine support, and Jeff Andrews, HMS executive vice president and general manager from the next Cup Series race.