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Following the post-race inspections from the Camping World 500 race in Phoenix on Sunday, it has come to light that the no.2 car from Team Penske – Brad Keselowski, and the no.4 car from Stewart-Haas Racing – Kevin Harvick, have both been penalised along with their crew chiefs and teams.

The team of Keselowski were hit the hardest once NASCAR had failed the car in the post-race inspection. Due to failed measurements, their 5th place finish was declared “encumbered.” Keselowski will lose 35 driver points which will drop him from second to fourth in the overall standings. 35 team owner points will also be lost. In addition, Crew Chief Paul Wolfe will be fined $65,000 and be banned for the next 3 races. His replacement will be Brian Wilson from the Xfinity side of the team.

The Stewart-Haas Racing team, crew chief Rodney Childers and no.4 car driver Kevin Harvick also had their 6th place finish declared as “encumbered.” Rodney Childers was fined $10,000 and banned from the upcoming race in Fontana. The team and Harvick will lose 10 driver points and 10 team owner points. Harvick has now fallen to eighth place as a result of an issue with the track bar mounts and supports. It has been confirmed that Harvick and his team will be appealing this decision.

In light of the new “Stage racing” that was introduced at the beginning of this season, a point reduction can make a phenomenal difference to the overall results. Keselowski reaction on “Race Hub” has also confirmed this point: “Last year, you got a win and you locked in and you got to the next round.  This year with points, you still lock in with wins. The difference is there’s a huge points bonus for having the most points at the end of the season that carries all the way through the playoffs, and you only get that bonus if you’re one of the best cars and leading up front at the end of the regular season, which requires having a lot of points.  Thirty-five points is a pretty big deal”

Fortunately for Keselowski, he will still be in good hands for the next three races under Brian Wilson, who helped his team mate – Joey Logano – to achieve the victory in the Xfinity race in Las Vegas. When commenting upon it, Keselowski said that Brian Wilson brings “a lot of knowledge and experience.”

Overall, it’s not great news for both Keselowski, Harvick, their teams and their fans. However, in a motorsport where crew chiefs and teams constantly try to get away with as much as possible, it only keeps it fair if NASCAR polices a line where there will be severe consequences if that line is crossed.