The #37 and #47 JTG-Daugherty Racing teams of Ryan Preece and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were penalized ahead of Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. The penalties for illegal body modifications included the loss of 10 owner and driver points.
Crew chiefs Trent Owens [37] and Brian Pattie [47] were ejected from the ACS garage/pit area before the race, and both drivers had to start the race from the back after Stenhouse qualified 10th and Preece 20th.
The teams were in violation of section 20.20 [Assembled Vehicle Overall Rules] of the 2020 NASCAR rule book. That section states, “”Except in cases explicitly permitted in the NASCAR rules, installation of additional components and/or modifications of existing components to affect the aerodynamic properties of the vehicle will not be permitted, including but not limited to, safety systems, chassis and roll cage, suspension, steering systems, brake systems, heat shields, body fillers, body sealers, filler panels, drivetrain components, and exhaust components.”
The violations were discovered during pre-qualifying inspections Saturday.
According to the penalty report released by NASCAR, “Parts, systems, devices, omissions or component failures cannot affect what what should otherwise be the normal airflow over the body of the vehicle.”
Stenhouse finished Sunday’s race one lap down in 20th. Preece was 30th, three laps down, at the checkered flag.
