Story By: NASCAR – DAYTONA BEACH, FL – NASCAR penalized the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team after a tungsten weight came loose from the vehicle before the start of Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
As a result of the safety violation, which is detailed in section 12.5.2.7.4.d of the NASCAR rule book, crew chief Chris Gabehart, car chief Brandon Griffeth and engineer Scott Simmons will miss the next four Cup Series points races through June 10, provided the team doesn’t appeal the suspension.
Denny Hamlin was scheduled to start 13th in the Coca-Cola 600 when the incident happened, forcing him to come down pit road just before the green flag. Hamlin, who has won two races this season including the Daytona 500, finished 29th on Sunday at Charlotte.