Why was Michael McDowell penalized by NASCAR after Pocono? Penalty details: points, money…

NASCAR has penalized Michael McDowell 100 driver points and his team Front Row Motorsports 100 owner points for improper modifications of a part on his No. 34 Ford Mustang, which finished sixth in Sunday’s race at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

Front Row was also slapped with a fine of $100,000, while crew chief Blake Harris has been suspended for four races. In the event that McDowell qualifies for the playoffs, the team stands to lose 10 playoff points.

NASCAR cracks down on modified cars

Cars at the 2022 Cup Series are spec vehicles assembled with parts from approved vendors. The NASCAR Rule Book says these parts are not meant to be modified. After McDowell’s sixth place finish, his car was one of two chosen to be given a closer inspection. The cars were reportedly selected at random.

NASCAR’s ruling on McDowell and his team comes after first and second place race winners Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch were stripped of their victories after it was found that some tape had been illegally applied to the front of their cars. After the two were disqualified, third-place finisher Chase Elliott moved up the standings and was pronounced the winner.

McDowell’s penalty is the second of its kind this season. In the spring, driver Brad Keselowski and his team were similarly docked with 100 points for an improper modification of the external surface of the car’s body panels.

NASCAR has said that it would be strict in implementing rules against modifying vendor-supplied car parts. The rulebook is not yet publicly available, and the exact infractions committed by the teams are not explained in detail.