NASCAR
Bob Pockrass, NASCAR 7y

Chase Elliott docked, crew chief and car chief suspended for illegal modifications

NASCAR

Chase Elliott was docked 15 points while crew chief Alan Gustafson and car chief Joshua Kirk were suspended for one race for illegal modifications to a component that impacted aerodynamics in Elliott's second-place run Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway.

Elliott dropped from sixth to eighth in the standings and from having a 33-point cushion to having 18 points on the current elimination cutoff with two races left in the opening round. He also won't be able to carry over the one playoff point he earned for winning a stage at Chicagoland when the points are reset if he advances to the next round.

NASCAR did not specify the component the team manipulated, but social media was full of videos and photos of the car appearing to have tape at the top of the spoiler and the car wrap lifting off the quarter panel. Increasing the amount of downforce and sideforce could help the car handle better through the turns.

The team will not appeal the penalty, which included a $25,000 fine and the ruling that if Elliott is involved in a tie in the standings, he can't use the second-place finish to capture the tiebreaker of best finish.

Kenny Francis, a former NASCAR Cup crew chief who has 17 career Cup wins and was crew chief for Elliott for five races in2015, will be the interim crew chief this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Kevin Hulstein, a Hendrick mechanic, will serve as car chief at New Hampshire.

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