Last week, Chris Buescher had a wheel come off of his car, resulting in a wreck and a DNF finish. It also resulted in a penalty from NASCAR. If a wheel comes off on track, that is a two-race suspension for two crew members from the offending team.
The jackman, Nicholas Patterson, and the front tire changer, Jackob Prall were given suspensions. Those suspensions will now likely be deferred as the appeal is heard by the independent panel.
RFK Racing hopes to have both crew members at Phoenix working on Chris Buescher’s car. If the appeal is denied, the suspension will take place over the two races proceeding the decision. Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports explained the details.
NASCAR is usually pretty straightforward on this. In fact, the penalty has gotten less harsh since the Next Gen car was introduced. It used to be a four-race suspension, no matter where the wheel came off on pit road or the track. Now, there are varying degrees of penalty depending on where and when it happened.
I think I understand where RFK Racing is coming from with the appeal. In their mind, Chris Buescher and his crew had nothing to do with the wheel coming off. It was an issue caused not by the pit crew but by other damage to the car.
It will be very interesting to see if they win this appeal. While it isn’t the biggest penalty in the world, it would set a precedent or similar situations and likely tweak the loose-wheel policy even further.
Chris Buescher needs a good finish at Phoenix
This season has not started the way that Chris Buescher likely hoped it would. He had a breakout season in 2023, winning three of the final five races of the regular season. So far this year, it has been frustration after frustration.
Perhaps the appeal is just to give Buescher his pit crew for Phoenix and possibly Bristol? Buescher has won at Bristol before and having his full pit crew with him for the Food City 500 could be a major difference.
The Phoenix championship race to end last season was by far Buescher’s best performance at the track. He started P9 and finished P5 in that race. If he wants to bring home a NASCAR championship at the end of the season, he will have to start performing very well at this track on a regular basis.
I’m not sure if Chris Buescher and RFK Racing are going to win this appeal. In fact, I think the idea of “winning” could mean multiple things for RFK. If they go out and snag a top-5 or a win in the next race or two, then regardless of the appeals decision, it was worth it. At worst, you lose those crew members later on and it doesn’t affect the bottom line too much.
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