That last thing Martin Truex Jr. would have wanted was for his #78 Chevy to be pulled off the grid before the start of an elimination race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. But that’s what happened minutes before cars were set to roll off pit road for the start of the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway Sunday. NASCAR officials deemed that the body of Truex’s car failed to conform to templates. Accordingly, Truex’s crew had to fix the car before the race, and Truex was sent to the rear for the start. After dodging an early wreck involving Jeb Burton and Josh Wise, Truex worked his way through the field, running as high as third after a two-tire call and ultimately finishing 11th. The result was good enough to propel Truex into the 12-driver Contender Round of the Chase. It wasn’t a comfortable day for the Furniture Row Racing driver, but the end result was positive. “Yeah, we had to start last,” Truex said after the race. “It is what it is. We moved on. We did what we had to do. It wasn’t a great day for us. It wasn’t a great weekend. We have been just struggling trying to get the thing turning. All in all, we had good speed when we would get track position.” According to NASCAR officials, Truex will face no additional sanctions beyond the demotion to the rear of the field on Sunday.(NASCAR Wire Service)(10-5-2015)
UPDATE: Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, said Monday that Martin Truex Jr.’s #78 Furniture Row Racing Chevy was brought back to the laser-inspection area minutes before Sunday’s AAA 400 because it was suspected that the side skirt had been manipulated “ and further inspection proved that to be true. “One of our officials noticed the side skirt of that car and thought it had perhaps been manipulated,” O’Donnell told NASCAR.com on Monday. “We brought it back to the laser-inspection station and sure enough were able to prove out that it had been.” The result was Truex Jr.’s crew had to work to fix the area and get it back up to code before rolling to the grid and starting from the back of the field because of “unapproved adjustments.” Originally slated to start ninth in the final race of the Challenger Round in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Truex rallied for an 11th-place finish and advanced to the Contender Round (NASCAR.com)
UPDATE 2 crew chief penalized: Furniture Row Racing received a P2 penalty on Tuesday following further review of a pre-race incident at Dover International Speedway. Cole Pearn, crew chief of the #78 Sprint Cup team, has been placed on probation until the end of the year. At the time of the incident, the team and the media was told by NASCAR the penalty had been served. However, when the sanctioning body reviewed the case earlier this week, additional details led to the P2 decision.(Motorsport)(10-7-2015)
