Two crew members from Richard Childress Racing have been suspended after an incident involving Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 during the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
During the latter stages of the race, Dillon’s car encountered trouble as it was released from the pit stall without the left-front tire being secured properly. This resulted in the wheel detaching once the car took off, causing a caution period.
The incident has led to the suspension of Joshua Thomas and Nicholas Covey, the regular front tire changer and jackman, respectively, for Dillon’s team. They are barred from participating in the next two points-paying events in the NASCAR Cup Series, specifically at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 20 and Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 7.
Though the suspension is a setback, the team plans to have them back for the penultimate event of the season at Martinsville Speedway.
A general view of racing during the NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 13, 2024 in Concord, North Carolina. Two Richard Childress Racing members have been suspended for two races.
Keenan Hairston/Getty Images
While Richard Childress Racing grapples with the immediate fallout, the team has made replacements to bridge the gap left by the suspended crew members. Michael Johnson, a part-time Cup Series crew member with experience from Richard Childress Racing, Kaulig Racing, and Team AmeriVet, steps in as the interim front tire changer.
Similarly, Garrett Crall will fill the role of jackman. Crall is familiar with Richard Childress Racing, having juggled responsibilities between the No. 3 and No. 8 teams, as well as having a stint with the No. 13 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing.
Although no other penalties were handed out, Alex Bowman was disqualified after the post-race inspections for an underweight car. Hendrick Motorsports decided against appealing the decision meaning Bowman loses his spot in the playoffs to Joey Logano.
NASCAR Cup Series: Current Standings
- Kyle Larson – 4052 points
- Christopher Bell – 4032 points
- Tyler Reddick – 4029 points
- William Byron – 4023 points
- Ryan Blaney – 4019 points
- Denny Hamlin – 4015 points
- Chase Elliott – 4014 points
- Joey Logano – 4012 points
- Alex Bowman – 2195 points
- Austin Cindric – 2174 points
- Ty Gibbs – 2150 points
- Martin Truex Jr – 2146 points
- Daniel Suárez – 2127 points
- Brad Keselowski – 2120 points
- Chase Briscoe – 2110 points
- Harrison Burton – 2065 points
- Chris Buescher – 830 points
- Bubba Wallace – 824 points
- Ross Chastain – 821 points
- Kyle Busch – 711 points
- Carson Hocevar – 604 points
- Todd Gilliland – 579 points
- Michael McDowell – 574 points
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr – 543 points
- Noah Gragson – 522 points
- Ryan Preece – 507 points
- Josh Berry – 506 points
- Austin Dillon – 483 points
- Zane Smith – 460 points
- Justin Haley – 459 points
- Corey LaJoie – 457 points
- Erik Jones – 456 points
- Daniel Hemric – 455 points
- John H. Nemechek – 395 points
- Kaz Grala – 188 points
- Cody Ware – 130 points
- Joey Hand – 43 points
- Jimmie Johnson – 40 points
- Derek Kraus – 32 points
- David Ragan – 17 points
- Kamui Kobayashi – 8 points
- Will Brown – 6 points
- Juan Pablo Montoya – 5 points
- Cam Waters – 2 points
