NASCAR has penalized the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 team driven by Kyle Busch in the Sprint Cup Series as a result of rule infractions discovered during post-race inspection Sunday at Pocono Raceway.
The No. 18 car was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-12.8.1B (body height requirements – car failed to meet the minimum front car heights) of the 2011 NASCAR rulebook. As a result, crew chief Dave Rogers has been fined $25,000, while owner Joe Gibbs and driver Kyle Busch have been penalized with the loss of six championship owner and six championship driver points, respectively.
"We brought the No. 18 car back to our race shop and have identified the problem which caused us to measure low during the post-race inspection process in Pocono [Sunday] afternoon," JGR said in a statement. "We have made NASCAR aware of our findings and we accept the penalty they have issued today."