Roush Fenway Racing catches a break on rule violations

Just prior to the November 14th NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying session for the Ford Eco Boost 400, at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, the Roush Fenway Racing Ford #17, driven by Rickey Stenhouse Jr,, surprisingly failed a pre-qualifying technical inspection. NASCAR tech officials discovered what was termed to be "unapproved rear suspension parts" on the car. The parts were confiscated and transported to NASCAR's Research and Development Center, located in Concord, North Carolina, for further review.

At the time it was believed that the anticipated possible penalties were going to be harsh. There was speculation that said the infraction level could hit a P5 on NASCAR's penalty scale. That's one of the highest levels possible with the possible maximum penalty being a fine of $125,000 and a six week suspension for Crew Chief Mike Kelley plus a loss of 50 championship points for Stenhouse which would have created a significant impact on the final Sprint Cup driver standings.

On the Thursday following the season ending race in Florida, NASCAR officials announced their decision and Roush Fenway Racing had to believe that they had caught a break. That's because NASCAR officials decided to designate the penalty level at a P3.

The official statement noted that the team had violated two sections of the official rule book:

12-1: actions detrimental to stock car racing.

20-12: Suspension: "all front end and rear suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension/drive line components beyond normal position or suspension/drive line travel."

The November 20th NASCAR press release went on to say:

"As a result of these violations, Crew Chief Mike Kelley has been fined $50,000 and placed on NASCAR probation for six months starting January 1, 2015 through June 30, 2015. Additionally, Car Chief Patrick Magee has also been placed on NASCAR probation for six months."

While the final resolution of the penalty sounds harsh, it could have been a lot worse. Roush Fenway Racing actually caught a break regarding this matter. Dave Grayson reporting