An issue with rear-window air deflectors in pre-race at Watkins Glen International on Sunday was costly for the #9 Hendrick Motorsports team of Chase Elliott and the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing team of Christopher Bell. Their crew chiefs, Alan Gustafson [9] and Adam Stevens [20] were ejected from the track ahead of the day’s Go Bowling at the Glen NASCAR Cup Series race and the drivers and teams lost 10 driver and owner points.
Gustafson and Stevens also were fined $25,000 apiece.
“Unfortunately today at Watkins Glen, the #9 car had an issue at technical inspection. The team has been assessed with an L1 penalty and Alan has been suspended from the race. Tom Gray, lead engineer of the #9, will take over calling the race in Alan’s absence,” Hendrick Motorsports Vice President of Competition Chad Knaus said. “It’s an unfortunate circumstance for Alan, Chase and the race team. We apologize to our fans and partners associated with the No. 9 team and will now focus forward on achieving the best possible results in today’s race.”
Chris Sherwood was Bell’s crew chief in place of Stevens at The Glen.
Both drivers dropped to the rear for the start of Sunday’s race, but they both still managed top-10 finishes. Elliott finished second to HMS teammate Kyle Larson, while Bell finished seventh after running as high as second in the race.
“It obviously caught me off guard, but it is what it is,” Bell said. “Just have to start a little further back and not having Adam on the pit box will be a little bit of a hinderance, but I have all the faith in the world that Joe Gibbs Racing is going to come through, and we’re going to have really, really great Camrys, and I think we’re going to be racing up front today.”
The Watkins Glen race weekend was the second-consecutive Cup weekend for which Elliott lost points. He and teammate Alex Bowman each were docked 25 points for an engine-rule violation the previous race weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 18.
Penalties handed down after the Watkins Glen race also included fines to two Cup Series crew chiefs for one loose or missing lug nut. Ben Beshore, crew chief on Kyle Busch’s #18 Joe Gibbs Racing team, and Seth Barbour, crew chief on the #38 Front Row Motorsports team of Anthony Alfredo. Each were fined $10,000.
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