NASCAR teams and drivers always like to have an ace up their sleeve, even if they’re racing in a Next-Gen car. NASCAR has leveled the playing field somewhat with a similar package that all teams can work with. However, that didn’t stop teams from coming up with bold ideas or working around gray areas that they could exploit to their advantage. And that’s exactly what Joey Logano and his team did so with webbed glove antics during the qualifying rounds at Daytona and Atlanta.
While Logano had the chance to implement this tactic at Daytona, he was apprehended by officials after the Atlanta qualifying laps. But now after further investigation, the the driver was fined $10,000 for violating safety rules. The NASCAR community was divided on this topic, with many calling the Penske driver a cheater. Of course, it was a creative idea to bypass security rules, and that’s what impressed Dale Earnhardt Jr. most.
Dale Jr, being a pilot himself, understood the need for Logano and his team to use these brazen tactics. He even praised him for this stunt on his podcast show, Dale Jr Download.
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“You know you have almost no creativity or flexibility, when teams have nowhere to look for an advantage, they’re going to find these weird little spaces to work in, like gloves… Maybe Joey feels like I am giving my hand. window, I’ve been doing this for you for several years now, how about we do something to the gloves and make them even better. Maybe Joey had this idea, who knows,“Jr. said.
He even added that pilots came up with similar tactics and ideas to get around the net window. “Years ago, teams came to Daytona with clear vinyl, placed behind the window netting and of course the first time anyone saw they were like, get that out of here, you can’t handle this. So that’s what happens when you have a race car and you control every inch of it.
While Logano and his team got away with a hefty fine, Stewart-Haas Racing was hit with a huge penalty for fielding cars with illegal parts.
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L-1 level penalty for SHR cars #10 and #41
The 2024 season was supposed to be a step up from previous iterations and disappointments for SHR. However, it seems the team didn’t learn from their past mistakes, and they came back to bite them. Two SHR drivers, Ryan Preece and Noah Gragson, were stripped of 35 points. The authorities had already confiscated the roof rail deflectors of the two cars and have now issued a severe sanction.
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With the points dedication in place, Preece now officially has no points and sits 36th in the standings. He is currently 47 points away from the playoff cut line. Noah Gragson, on the other hand, is in big trouble with this penalty. The No. 10 car is less than six points behind and sits 43rd in the standings, 53 points from the cutoff line. Not the start the SHR team would have hoped for to the 2024 season.
This is indeed bad news for Stewart-Haas Racing. They will have to dig deep to come back strong and get back into contention for the rest of the season.
