NASCAR informs teams of possible penalties if they repeat what Trackhouse cars did at Gateway

NASCAR informed teams in a memo Tuesday that the actions Trackhouse Racing drivers Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen took after last weekend’s race could be subject to penalties, including disqualification, moving forward.

Both playoff drivers turned their cars into the grass entering the access road in Turn 3 after taking the checkered flag in last weekend’s Cup playoff race at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Brad Moran, Cup Series managing director, said Tuesday morning on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that officials planned to talk to Trackhouse Racing officials about the incident.

NASCAR’s Brad Moran told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that what Trackhouse’s two playoff cars did after the race “caught our radar.”

NASCAR spokesperson Mike Forde stated on this week’s “NASCAR Hauler Talk” podcast: “We did see what the 88 (van Gisbergen) and 1 (Chastain) were doing … and we did not care for it. Not one bit.”

Section 6.4.2.1.B of the Cup Rule Book states: “All vehicles are considered under impound from the moment they receive the checkered flag or the Race is declared complete due to adverse conditions. Vehicles must not be altered or adjusted in any manner during the cool-down lap or on pit road prior to reporting to the inspection area(s).”

Forde said on the podcast that “we didn’t think what Trackhouse did did went to the level (of a penalty). I think we’re going to give them a little bit of a warning.”

The point of the note to teams, Forde said on the podcast, was so that teams are “aware that we are going to be looking at this.”

The playoffs are under way at the 0.533-mile oval for the top three national series.

Forde also addressed on the podcast how numerous cars ran near the wall or on the apron after last weekend’s Cup playoff race in an apparent attempt to pick up rubber to meet the minimum weight requirement in post-race inspection.

“As far as trying to pick up debris and things like that, that’s going to be too difficult to police,” Forde said on the podcast. “That’s probably going to be a bridge too far for us.

“We’ll look at it, but I think that’s going to be something that we’ll have to live with. But as far as pancaking the wall or running through grass — there’s no grass at Bristol so this won’t be a problem this weekend — that is going to be something that we’ll frown upon in a significant way.

“What that way is is TBD, so whether that is going to be an in-race penalty or a (disqualification), that is going to be determined after the event.”

Kyle Larson goes for his third consecutive win at Bristol.

Forde also said on the “NASCAR Hauler Talk” podcast that after the playoff opener at Darlington “there were a couple of (playoff) cars that were within a pound of almost failing and being (disqualified).”

All remaining playoff cars are inspected after each playoff race. All 16 cars have been inspected after the first two races of the opening round and will be inspected after Saturday night’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Four drivers will be eliminated from the playoffs at Bristol. Pre-race coverage on USA Network begins at 7 p.m. ET Saturday.