NASCAR has issued the first penalty report of the season and it includes two suspensions from COTA.
On lap 75, Ross Chastain lost one of his tires and ended up in the gravel before working his way to pit road. As a result, rear-tire changer Kenneth Pozega and jackman Josh Appleby have been suspended for two races – Phoenix and Las Vegas.
The infraction is a safety violation according to Sections 8.8.10.4.A&D – tires and wheels – loss or separation of an improperly installed tire/wheel from the vehicle during the event according to the NASCAR rulebook.
A couple of years ago, NASCAR amended the rule to only issue suspensions when a tire becomes separated from the car on the racing surface. If the infraction occurs while on pit road, the driver must serve a passthrough penalty – driving down pit road at pit road speed. On shorter tracks it can cause the driver to go laps down.