FORT WORTH, Texas — Tony Stewart has spent two decades in NASCAR and still doesn’t understand some of the series’ rules, a topic that became an issue when seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson was mistakenly penalized moments before the AAA Sunday’s Texas 500.
“We need to make things simpler,” Stewart said after one of his drivers, Kevin Harvick, won the race to secure a place in Championship 4. “Half the time we don’t know what the sanctions are supposed to be and I’m a car owner. I also don’t know how fans are supposed to keep up.
Johnson’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet failed inspection twice, but passed a third time. (Cars are not penalized in track position when a car passes before three attempts, although they may be awarded a practice time in the following race.)
NASCAR Executive Vice President Steve O’Donnell said “there was a breakdown in communication” between inspection officials and racing control.
“We thought there was a third failure,” O’Donnell told the NASCAR Transporter after Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. “There were none. There were only two. In this case, the 48 should not have left from the rear.
“It’s disappointing. It’s unfortunately not something that can be fixed during the race. All we can do is admit it and fix it.
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Johnson waited in line during the warm-up laps where he qualified (23rd) as his crew chief, Chad Knaus, tried to get officials to acknowledge the mistake. Johnson, however, ultimately fell to the back of the pack.
“It put us in a bad situation,” Knaus said. “I’m really proud of the guys on Team 48. We came back strong. We had another penalty later, a spin on the track and we still finished quite well.
Johnson finished 15th and remains winless this season with two races remaining. He has won every season as a full-time driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – a race that dates back to 2002 – but has not taken the checkered flag since June 4, 2017 at Dover International Speedway.
“There’s been a breakdown in communication about how teams can communicate with the tower to challenge something, and that really came to light today,” said Johnson, who has more Cup wins at Texas ( 7) than any driver in NASCAR history.
Knaus advocated a new way for teams to communicate with NASCAR officials.
“We assured them that we are looking into everything to resolve this issue,” O’Donnell said.
Twenty-three of the 40 drivers in the race were penalized before or during Sunday’s race, not including engine or transmission changes. Johnson’s pre-race penalty is not on this list, although he later had to serve a drive-through penalty when one of his crew members went over the wall too early.
Half of the Round of 16 playoff drivers were penalized before or during the race: Kyle Busch (speeding on pit road), Aric Almirola (unapproved body modification), Martin Truex Jr. (crossing three or more stands ahead of his) and Clint Bowyer (crew member sitting on the wall).
Bowyer finished worst among drivers seeking a spot in Championship 4 placing 26th, two laps down. His spokesperson told USA TODAY Sports after the race that Bowyer was not responding to questions.
“That’s the rule,” O’Donnell said of Bowyer’s penalty. “I know people don’t necessarily like all these rules, but that’s the rule. If you don’t make this call, you’ll wonder why we didn’t.
Follow AJ Perez of USA TODAY Sports on Twitter @byajperez.
