Two NASCAR Team Members Suspended After Charlotte Roval Mishap

Two crew members from Richard Childress Racing have been suspended after an incident involving Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 during the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

During the latter stages of the race, Dillon’s car encountered trouble as it was released from the pit stall without the left-front tire being secured properly. This resulted in the wheel detaching once the car took off, causing a caution period.

The incident has led to the suspension of Joshua Thomas and Nicholas Covey, the regular front tire changer and jackman, respectively, for Dillon’s team. They are barred from participating in the next two points-paying events in the NASCAR Cup Series, specifically at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 20 and Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 7.

Though the suspension is a setback, the team plans to have them back for the penultimate event of the season at Martinsville Speedway.

While Richard Childress Racing grapples with the immediate fallout, the team has made replacements to bridge the gap left by the suspended crew members. Michael Johnson, a part-time Cup Series crew member with experience from Richard Childress Racing, Kaulig Racing, and Team AmeriVet, steps in as the interim front tire changer.

Similarly, Garrett Crall will fill the role of jackman. Crall is familiar with Richard Childress Racing, having juggled responsibilities between the No. 3 and No. 8 teams, as well as having a stint with the No. 13 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing.

Although no other penalties were handed out, Alex Bowman was disqualified after the post-race inspections for an underweight car. Hendrick Motorsports decided against appealing the decision meaning Bowman loses his spot in the playoffs to Joey Logano.

NASCAR Cup Series: Current Standings

1. Kyle Larson – 4052 points
2. Christopher Bell – 4032 points
3. Tyler Reddick – 4029 points
4. William Byron – 4023 points
5. Ryan Blaney – 4019 points
6. Denny Hamlin – 4015 points
7. Chase Elliott – 4014 points
8. Joey Logano – 4012 points
9. Alex Bowman – 2195 points
10. Austin Cindric – 2174 points
11. Ty Gibbs – 2150 points
12. Martin Truex Jr – 2146 points
13. Daniel Suárez – 2127 points
14. Brad Keselowski – 2120 points
15. Chase Briscoe – 2110 points
16. Harrison Burton – 2065 points
17. Chris Buescher – 830 points
18. Bubba Wallace – 824 points
19. Ross Chastain – 821 points
20. Kyle Busch – 711 points
21. Carson Hocevar – 604 points
22. Todd Gilliland – 579 points
23. Michael McDowell – 574 points
24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr – 543 points
25. Noah Gragson – 522 points
26. Ryan Preece – 507 points
27. Josh Berry – 506 points
28. Austin Dillon – 483 points
29. Zane Smith – 460 points
30. Justin Haley – 459 points
31. Corey LaJoie – 457 points
32. Erik Jones – 456 points
33. Daniel Hemric – 455 points
34. John H. Nemechek – 395 points
35. Kaz Grala – 188 points
36. Cody Ware – 130 points
37. Joey Hand – 43 points
38. Jimmie Johnson – 40 points
39. Derek Kraus – 32 points
40. David Ragan – 17 points
41. Kamui Kobayashi – 8 points
42. Will Brown – 6 points
43. Juan Pablo Montoya – 5 points
44. Cam Waters – 2 points