Buescher crew members penalized for loose wheel nut

NASCAR has suspended two crew members from Chris Buescher’s No. 17 RFK Racing team because of the right front wheel that came off the car on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Nicholas Patterson (jackman) and Jakob Prall (tire changer) will miss the next two Cup Series races at Phoenix Raceway (March 10) and Bristol Motor Speedway (March 17). It is an automatic two-race suspension when a wheel comes off on the racetrack. It is also a two-lap penalty, however, Buescher crashed in Turn 1 when the wheel came off and exited the race.

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The wheel was left loose when the team took two tires under a lap 10 caution in the Pennzoil 400. Buescher left pit road first and was running inside the top 10 when the lug nut came off on lap 27, followed by the wheel. Buescher crashed into the outside wall and finished last in the race.

Tuesday’s penalty report also listed fines for two crew chiefs in the Xfinity Series. Both were for having an unsecured lug nut on their vehicles after the race. Phillip Bell and Andrew Abbott were both fined $5,000.

Bell is the crew chief of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for Brandon Jones. Jones finished ninth in Saturday’s race at Las Vegas.

Abbott is the crew chief for the No. 42 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet for Leland Honeyman. Honeyman finished 18th at Las Vegas.

Additionally, there was one fine in the Craftsman Truck Series, also for an unsecured lug nut. Joe Shear Jr., the crew chief for Ty Majeski and the No. 98 ThorSport Racing team, was fined $2,500. Majeski led a race-high 40 laps in Friday night’s race and finished 10th.