NASCAR: Harvick crew chief handed $25k fine over bean bags

NASCAR has issued Kevin Harvick's crew chief Rodney Childers with a $25,000 penalty following a bizarre unapproved weight incident at Watkins Glen last weekend.

The Stewart-Haas driver struggled at the start of the race and began slipping back through the order from his second row starting position, when it transpired he was unintentionally carrying extra ballast in the form of bean bags. The bags are often used for when a car goes through inspection to make up for the driver's weight not being in the car, and they also aid in the setup of the vehicle prior to a race.

Harvick's mechanics forgot to remove the bags and they eventually appeared under his seat, before rolling toward his pedals.

"We had a bag underneath the seat that they weigh the car with," explained Harvick. "I believe the bag just got left in there and I spent a couple of laps trying to get it positioned to the left.

"I finally got it positioned under both my feet, so I had no option but to come in and get it removed."

Despite an untimely pit stop, Harvick went on to finish the race in seventh position.

The mishap is classed as a P3 penalty under the new NASCAR Deterrence system and the NASCAR rulebook states that any unapproved weight or weight affixed improperly is a violation.

The violation is also seen as an "action detrimental to stock car racing," and as a result of this infraction, Childers has been hit with a $25,000 fine.