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Bob PockrassNASCAR
Kyle Larson already faced a likely must-win situation Sunday at Kansas Speedway, and it became even more urgent as NASCAR penalized him 10 points for his team using unapproved metal tabs while repairing the vehicle during the race Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.
The 10-point penalty dropped Larson (11th in the standings) from 26 points behind the current playoff cutoff to 36 points out heading into the elimination race Sunday. NASCAR will cut its playoff drivers from 12 to eight after that race, with the four drivers who have the fewest points and are winless in the three-race round being eliminated.
Chip Ganassi Racing could appeal the penalty, and NASCAR has an expedited appeals process for these situations.
NASCAR also fined Larson crew chief Chad Johnston $25,000 and suspended car chief David Bryant for one race.
In examining the car after the race, NASCAR determined that Larson’s team used unapproved metal tabs to repair the car after a blown tire and spin on Lap 104. The use of those metal tabs violated the damaged vehicle policy, which requires all parts must be reattached with only fasteners and/or tape.
If NASCAR had noticed the violation when the team was making the repairs, it could have parked Larson and he would have finished 40th — 29 spots (and 29 points) worse than his 11th-place finish. If seen early enough, NASCAR also possibly could have told the team not to use the unapproved metal tabs and allowed it to try to fix the car properly in its six-minute window to do so.
Even without the penalty, Larson faced long odds to advance without a win Sunday at Kansas. The most points a driver who finishes second in a race can earn is 55 points, and that includes winning both stages.
Larson is winless this year, but he did lead 101 laps at Kansas in May on his way to a fourth-place finish.