Chase Elliott has been penalized following the seventh NASCAR Cup Series race of the 2018 season, which was the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas.\
Chase Elliott, the driver of the #9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, has been issued his second hefty post-race penalty of the season following his 11th place finish in this past Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort, Worth Texas, which was the seventh race on the 36-race 2018 NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
It was announced on Wednesday that the #9 team received an L1-level penalty for a rear windshield violation that was discovered in post-race inspection. Hendrick Motorsports had the option to appeal the penalty, but they opted not to do so.
Here is what NASCAR.com reported about the violation.
"“The team was found to have violated Sections 20.4.8.1 (dealing with rear window support). A brace that supports the rear window did not meet specifications for keeping rear window glass rigid in all directions.”"
As a result of this penalty, Elliott loses 20 points in the championship standings. He was previously in 15th place in the standings with 148 points, but he has now dropped to 18th with only 128 points. The team have also been penalized 20 owner points.
Elliott’s crew chief Alan Gustafson has also been fined $50,000 and suspended for the next two NASCAR Cup Series races and will be replaced by interim crew chief Kenny Francis in those two events, which are set to be held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee on Sunday, April 15th and Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia on Saturday, April 21st.
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Elliott was previously given a 25-point penalty following his 3rd place finish in the TicketGuardian 500 at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona back on Sunday, March 11th for a rear suspension violation. If not for his two penalties, he would be sitting in 13th place in the championship standings with 173 points through seven races so far this season as opposed to 18th place with 128 points.
The NASCAR Cup Series standings pages on Beyond the Flag have been updated to reflect the aftermath of Elliott’s 20-point penalty. However, the NASCAR Cup Series Team Power Rankings and the NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings following the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, which were published on Monday, will remain the same due to the fact that they are considered official as soon as each race ends.
That said, expect the necessary changes to be made to the formula variables affected by Elliott’s penalty prior to the release of the next NASCAR Cup Series Team Power Rankings and NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings, which are set to be released following the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee this Sunday, April 15th.
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With multiple poor results and multiple penalties, Chase Elliott’s 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season has not gone well up to this point, nor has the season for Hendrick Motorsports as a whole. Will that change in this Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee? Tune in to Fox on Sunday, April 15th at 2:00 pm ET to watch the live broadcast of the eighth Cup Series race of the season.