Kyle Busch’s crew chief, Adam Stevens, and Clint Bowyer’s crew chief, Johnny Klausmeier, have been suspended for Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway, because their cars each had two lug nuts improperly secured at the end of the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Aug. 6. Both crew chiefs also were fined $20,000 for the rules infraction.
Two-time Cup Series championship crew chief Greg Zipadelli, now the Vice President of Competition at Stewart-Haas Racing, will be Bowyer’s crew chief on the #14 SHR team for the Richmond Race. Engineer Jacob Canter will be Busch’s crew chief on the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing team.
The suspensions of Klausmeier and Stevens were the second and third suspensions issued for rules infractions at Darlington. Todd Gordon, crew chief for Ryan Blaney on the #12 Team Penske car, was suspended for the Southern 500 as a result of improperly attached ballast [weight] to the #12, discovered to pre-race inspection.
Rodney Childers, crew chief on Kevin Harvick’s #4 SHR team, and Chad Knaus, William Byron’s crew chief on the #24 Hendrick Motorsports team of William Byron, each were fined $10,000 for their cars having a single lug nut loose or missing after the Darlington race.
