Last year saw some teams being penalized over car manufactured parts that resulted in some pretty hefty penalties for the teams.
This year NASCAR has amended the official Rule Book to reflect a change in penalties committed by the Original Equipment Manufacturers, or OEMs.
Currently the NASCAR Rule books states – Section 10.5.2.8.A – “NASCAR reserves the right to determine if an OEM has violated the NASCAR Rule Book and may impose penalties on the OEM or its representatives accordingly.”
Section 10.5.2.8.c lists the range of penalties for rule infractions depending upon the severity of the penalty:
Loss of 25-50 manufacturer points
Loss of 30-60 wind-tunnel hours
Loss of 250-500 RCFD (restricted computational fluid dynamics) test runs
Loss of 2-4 vehicle tests
Drivers and owners earn points for each race; as do the manufacturers; a 50 point penalty could cause a manufacturer to lose the championship.
In other rule changes:
Section 5.5.A relates to driver performance obligation – “Any member who attempts to improperly influence the outcome of the event or encourages, persuades, or induces others to do so shall be subject to penalties, as outlined in Section 10 Violations and Disciplinary Action. Prohibited actions include, but are not limited to, intentional planning or conduct that prioritizes objectives other than achieving the best possible competitive result for their team.”
The NASCAR rule book prohibits drivers from purposely working to manipulate the outcome of a race – an issue that came into play during a Martinsville race last season.
NASCAR works to continually update the rule book as issues arise.
Another major issue over the past few years has been NASCAR’s tendency to be lenient with granting waivers for drivers to enter the playoffs after missing races. While no rules have yet to be announced, the competition committee will be reviewing the issue for a possible ruling.