NASCAR released its penalty report on Wednesday, delivering a notable punishment to Austin Cindric for right-rear hooking Ty Dillon. However, Kyle Larson also found himself on the report.
Larson’s penalty stemmed from losing his front right tire on track at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), which is an automatic infraction. NASCAR’s managing director of racing communications, Mike Forde, addressed the situation on the Hauler Talk podcast, explaining that the No. 5 team’s penalty was straightforward and one that fans are familiar with.
“When a team loses a tire on the track after leaving pit road, it results in a ‘2-2-2’ penalty,” Forde stated. “That means a two-lap penalty during the race and a two-race suspension for two crew members.” He noted that this rule, introduced in January 2023, replaced a harsher penalty from the previous year.
As a result, Larson’s team will be without jackman Brandon Johnson and tire changer Blaine Anderson for the next two races. While losing key crew members is significant, the penalty is actually less severe than what was previously enforced.
“In the first season of the Next Gen car in 2022, the penalty for losing a wheel was even stricter,” Forde recalled. “Back then, it resulted in a four-race suspension for two crew members and the crew chief.” This meant that a crew chief could be sidelined for a full month, a punishment many felt was excessive.
Due to widespread criticism, NASCAR revised the rule in 2023. “We got a lot of feedback that the punishment didn’t fit the crime,” Forde admitted. “So we adjusted it to include an in-race penalty, a two-lap deduction, alongside the crew suspensions.”
Under the old rule, a driver could still win the race despite losing a wheel. Now, the two-lap setback makes a comeback much harder, especially in a highly competitive field. While it is possible to recover if the penalty occurs early in the race, Larson was not able to do so at COTA.
As it stands, Larson will be without two crew members for the upcoming races at Phoenix and Las Vegas. However, Hendrick Motorsports has the option to appeal the penalty, though it remains uncertain if they will pursue that course of action.
