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NASCAR issued a near-record points penalty to Front Row Motorsports Wednesday after determining the team illegally modified the tires on the No. 38 Ford at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for Sunday's Sprint Cup Series Race.Car owner Doug Yates (left) and driver Travis Kvapil (right) were docked 150 points each -- knocking the team out of the top 35 in owners points and forcing it to qualify on speed this week at Michigan. Only drivers Jeremy Mayfield (151 points in 2000) and Carl Long (200 points in 2009) have been issued more severe points penalties.
The team's crew chief Steve Lane was given a $100,000 fine, suspended 12 races (until Sept. 15) and placed on probation until Dec. 31 for the infraction. Car chief Richard Bourgeois and tire specialist Michael Harrold also received the 12-race suspension and season probation.
Team owner Bob Jenkins is appealing the penalty.
NASCAR inspectors confiscated the car's two rear tires before the race and discovered illegally modified tire valve caps.
"For this team, this is a big deal for us to lose points and to lose $100,000 is a big penalty for a small team like Front Row Motorsports,'' Kvapil told SPEED TV Wednesday.
Share "We had illegal parts on our race car, whatever the intent was or not.
"I'm here to kind of plead my case that it was completely unintentional and we had no idea we had them on the car. But the fact of the matter is they were and NASCAR has got to issue their penalties.''
NASCAR also doled out punishment to Braun Racing in the Nationwide Series, handing out 25-point penalties to drivers Tayler Malsam and Jason Leffler and docking 25 owners points from team owners Todd and Ralph Braun after inspectors found illegal tire modifications.
The crew chiefs and tire specialists from Malsam's No. 10 Toyota and Leffler's No. 38 Toyota have been suspended two races and placed on probation through the end of the year.
Malsam's crew chief Stuart Cooper and Leffler's crew chief Trip Bruce were also fined $25,000.
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