NASCAR has issued a penalty to the No. 19 team of Martin Truex Jr. and Joe Gibbs Racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
According to the penalty report, the No. 19 team made unapproved adjustments to the Toyota Camry XSE after it had gone through pre-race inspection. As a result, the team will lose pit stall selection. NASCAR has ejected car chief Chris Jones for the remainder of the weekend.
Truex will have to start the race at the rear of the field. He will then have to serve a pass-through penalty after taking the green flag at the 2.5-mile oval.
According to NASCAR, the No. 19 went through inspection again after the infraction. It passed.
Also mentioned in the penalty report is that the No. 38 of Front Row Motorsports failed pre-race inspection twice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. NASCAR ejected car chief Will Norris for the remainder of the weekend. Front Row Motorsports also lost pit stall selection.
NASCAR has buckled down this season while issuing penalties for unapproved adjustments made after cars have gone through pre-race inspection. Joe Gibbs Racing is just the latest example.
NASCAR issued the same penalty to Justin Haley and Rick Ware Racing at Nashville Superspeedway in June. Officials discovered that the No. 51 team had made unapproved adjustments after going through inspection. Haley also served a pass-through penalty at the start of the race and finished 13th.
Another example of this penalty took place at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Tyler Reddick reached the second round of qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600, but he did not keep his spot.
NASCAR announced before the crown jewel race that Reddick's team had made unapproved adjustments to the underwing of the No. 45 Toyota after it had gone through inspection. The team lost its pit stall selection and car chief. Reddick had to start from the rear of the field and serve a pass-through penalty. He finished fourth at Charlotte.