NASCAR, Hendrick suspend Elliott spotter D’Hondt

Eddie D’Hondt, the spotter for Chase Elliott, has been suspended by Hendrick Motorsports and NASCAR after an arrest earlier this month.

D’Hondt (pictured above in 2018) was arrested on May 12 in Catawba County, North Carolina, and faces charges of misdemeanor assault on a female and misdemeanor battery of an unborn child. D’Hondt has a court appearance scheduled for June 7 (on the misdemeanor battery of an unborn child) and June 30 (for the charge of misdemeanor assault on a female).

D’Hondt has worked with Elliott since Elliott’s rookie season in the Cup Series, and he also spots for drivers in the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series. D’Hondt worked two Cup Series races with Elliott following his arrest, including last weekend when the No. 9 team won at Circuit of the Americas.

Hendrick Motorsports released a statement Wednesday morning confirming the suspension.

“We became aware of the situation this morning and have immediately and indefinitely suspended Mr. D’Hondt’s role with our company. We are taking this matter very seriously and will continue to seek additional information about the alleged incident. A spotter for this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway has not been named at this time.”

NASCAR suspended D’Hondt under the Member Conduct Guidelines of the rule book as well as required notice. D’Hondt failure to disclose his arrest to NASCAR within 72 hours.