Legacy Motor Club’s flagship #43 car has been assessed with an L1 penalty for a modification to the car’s greenhouse, which is a term used to describe the area above the fender line, between the front & rear windows of the car. Jones’ #43 was taken by NASCAR officials to the R&D center after last week’s race at Gateway.
The team has been issued a 60 point penalty in both driver and owner points, with an additional removal of 5 playoff points. Additionally, crew chief Dave Elenz has been suspended for 2 races and has been fined $75,000. Joey Cohen will serve as the team’s interim crew chief.
The penalty drops the #43 car from 26th in points down to 30th. As a result of this penalty, both Legacy Motor Club cars now sit at or below the 30th place mark in the standings, with Jones’ teammate Noah Gragson sitting in 32nd and the #42 car ranking 34th in owner points.
This penalty further compounds what has been an undeniably difficult year for the Jimmie Johnson/Maury Gallagher enterprise. After the successes of the 43 team last year (albeit with their fair share of inconsistency) many had Erik Jones as a fringe playoff contender coming in to this year. Now he finds himself in a must win scenario if he wants a shot at a playoff berth. Many also expected a better showing from rookie Noah Gragson after his stellar Xfinity Series career, but his performances haven’t quite lived up to expectations yet.
Legacy have yet to announce whether or not they will protest NASCAR’s ruling, saying on Twitter “We acknowledge the penalty issued by NASCAR and are working within the team to determine the course of action.” Joey Cohen will serve as the team’s crew chief.
Featured Image Credits: Patrick Vallely
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