In NASCAR, teams can be penalized in several ways over a given race weekend. The three main forms of penalties are pre-race, in-race and post-race.
Different types of NASCAR penalties
Pre-race penalties
Pre-race penalties typically stem from pre-race inspection for either the race or qualifying. If a driver’s car fails pre-race inspection twice, that car has to start at the rear of the field and vacate its starting spot during the pace laps before the field takes the green flag. Teams also see the car chief ejected following the second inspection failure — this was updated under NASCAR’s 2019 deterrence model as it had previously been a crew member.
A third inspection failure results in a pass-thru penalty on Lap 1 and that usually results in the driver falling a lap or two down depending on the track. Most inspection failures fall under the L1 penalty heading (more on that below).
In the case of events that hold qualifying, three inspection failures result in not being able to take a lap in the time trials. After two inspection failures for qualifying, teams lose their car chief and are assessed a practice hold of 15 minutes for the next event with practice.
In-race penalties
Almost all in-race penalties typically come on pit road. Teams can be penalized for a driver speeding entering or exiting pit road. Teams can be penalized for removing equipment such as the jack or gas can. Teams can be penalized for driving through too many pit stalls — the limit is three.
Teams can be penalized for loose equipment like a tire escaping the pit stall and ending up in the infield grass. Teams can also be penalized for having too many crew members over the wall — this usually happens after an accident — or for going over the wall too soon.
If these penalties occur under yellow, the penalty is a drop to the back of the field — the tail of the longest line. If these penalties occur under green, the penalty is a pass-thru down pit road that usually results in the driver being at least one lap down.
A black-flag penalty means the driver must return to pit road to fix some issue and will not be scored until the issue is resolved.
Pit road is officiated from the Pit Road Officiating trailer in which the use of technology helps flag and confirm potential infractions during a race.
In recent years, NASCAR has instituted a damaged vehicle policy and a seven-minute crash clock. Under this policy, any cars with damage from an incident must be off pit road and making minimum speed in seven minutes to continue in the race. Failure to do so will see the car retired from the race. Beginning in 2025, cars will be permitted to continue the race after repairing damages if towed to the garage.
Post-race penalties
Following a race, post-race inspection takes place and it is usually 90-120 minutes before the winner is confirmed. In the Xfinity Series and Truck Series, officials inspect tires on pit road for missing lug nuts, resulting in a monetary fine to the crew chief depending on how many lug nuts are loose. With the new single lug-nut concept for the Next-Gen car, lug-nut penalties are not common anymore in the Cup Series. Should a car lose a tire during the race, that car is generally penalized two laps with two-race suspensions to the jackman and tire changers. Lug-nut penalties fall under the safety penalty category as does the loss or separation of added ballast.
Cars go through post-race inspection and if a violation is found, it results in a race disqualification. That means the driver is scored last in the field and loses any stage points or playoff points earned from the race (had they scored any). The last time an apparent race winner in NASCAR’s top division was disqualified came July 24, 2022, when Denny Hamlin and apparent runner-up Kyle Busch were disqualified for similar modifications to the front fascia of their cars.
Different levels of penalties in NASCAR
All Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 penalties found following at-track inspection result in points deductions, suspensions of crew chief and/or other team members and fines. The inspection of any vehicles in question, in this case, typically takes place at the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina.
Level 2 and Level 3 penalties typically come in cases that disprove the likelihood that the violation resulted from an accident, omission or general misunderstanding of the NASCAR Rules. Violations resulting in Level 2 or Level 3 penalties also represent the expressly forbidden areas of unauthorized activity in or about the vehicle.
A L1 penalty
Carries a points deduction of 20 to 75 points, a playoff point deduction of one to 10 points, a suspension of the crew chief or other team members for one to three races and a fine ranging from $25,000 to $100,000.
A L2 penalty
Carries a point deduction of 75 to 120 points, a suspension for the crew chief or other team members of four to six races and a fine anywhere from $100,000 to $250,000. Penalties can be increased if the sanctioning body has found prior violations or determined a trend of a specific infraction recurring.
A L3 penalty
Carries a point deduction of 120-180 points, playoff point deductions of 25 to 50 points, a suspension for the crew chief or other team members of six races, a fine from $250,000 to $500,000, nullification of postseason eligibility and a one-race suspension for the team, depending on the severity.
What constitutes a L1, L2 or L3 penalty?
L1 penalties include a post-race failure to meet minimum weight, team source parts not meeting the NASCAR Rules or failures in the submission and approval process of parts.
L2 penalties include modification to single-source Next Gen parts in the Cup Series, violations of engine-seal requirements, unapproved alterations to the engine control system wiring and use of unapproved on-board electronics.
L3 penalties include counterfeiting or modifying single-source Next Gen parts, engine and performance enhancements, Engine Control Unit (ECU) or Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) violations, modifying tires and/or fuel and violations of private team testing policy.
NASCAR can also issue behavioral penalties to its members for actions at the track, violations (such as failing a drug test) or actions on social media platforms.