Harvick & Team Penalized for Rear Window Infraction at Vegas March 8, 2018 NASCAR NASCAR has penalized this past Sunday’s Las Vegas Motor Speedway race winner Kevin Harvick and his Stewart-Haas Racing team for technical infractions found during post-race inspections this week at the NASCAR R & D center. Crew chief (Rodney Childers) has been fined $50,000. Car chief (Robert Smith) has been suspended from the next two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship Points Events – and the team has been assessed the loss of 20 driver points and 20 owner points. The penalty notes “Rear Window Support Braces must keep the rear window glass rigid in all directions at all times. The Right Side Rocker Panel Extension did not meet NASCAR rule specifications, extension was not aluminum.” The points loss moves Harvick from first to third in the standings. The penalty is not a big surprise with photos of the suspect rear window circulating on social media this week. Crew chief Rodney Childers appeared on an ESPN show Tuesday and spoke about the issue saying he believed a brace failed about two-thirds through the race, causing the window to buckle. He also questioned those saying the buckled window would help the car aerodynamically, adding the roofline is better if its round and smooth than sharp and pointed. Stewart-Haas Racing can appeal the penalty. Team VP of Competition, Greg Zipadelli issued the following statement following the penalty announcement: “We’re going to take the time and evaluate our options, and we plan to continue dialogue with NASCAR to fully understand the rationale behind the penalty.”
