NASCAR Hands Down Serious Penalties to Matt Kenseth’s Team

NASCAR handed down serious penalties to Matt Kenseth and his Joe Gibbs Racing team on Wednesday after a good run at Kansas Speedway on Sunday. NASCAR conducted a post-race inspection of Kenseth's No. 20 Toyota uncovering an unapproved connecting rod that was too light. Sunday's win remains intact; however the driver was penalized with the loss of 50 Sprint Cup Series championship points which reduced his position from eighth to a tie for 14th with Jeff Gordon. Since NASCAR updated the championship points scheme, the driver was the first to be docked 50 points. Kenseth's has also lost three points that would be granted should he win finish in the top 10 drivers to qualify for NASCAR's Chase for the Cup late-season title playoff. Jason Ratcliff, the crew chief, was slapped with a $200,000 fine and suspended for the next six point-paying Cup races. Toyota Racing Development (TRD) built the engine and said the unapproved part "weighed in approximately three grams under the legal limit." "We take full responsibility for this issue," TRD President Lee White said in a statement. "It was a simple oversight on TRD's part and there was no intent to deceive or to gain any type of competitive advantage."