Kyle Busch will end his tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing minus a few teammates after his team was penalized for a loose wheel Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
NASCAR suspended crew chief Ben Beshore, jackman Derrell Edwards and tire changer Michael Hicks for four races because of the Sections 10.5.2.6 infraction (loss or separation of an improperly installed tire/wheel from the vehicle during an event) committed by the No. 18 Toyota pit crew.
The suspensions will carry through the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, the Feb. 5, 2023 exhibition event ahead of next year’s Daytona 500.
After Busch pitted on Lap 229 for fresh tires, the left front wheel was loose, and it rolled off the car on the backstretch. Busch rebounded from a tough outing -- he spun out on lap 78 -- to finish third.
Busch is moving from JGR after 2022 to Richard Childress Racing for the 2023 season. His replacement has yet to be named.
Seth Chavka, who was Busch’s interim crew chief for the Clash this year after Beshore was suspended for a lugnut penalty in the 2021 season finale, will be the interim crew chief on the No. 18. Chavka also was Busch’s interim crew chief last year for the Oct. 17, 2021 race at Texas because Beshore was sidelined by a lug nut violation.
The suspensions for the Joe Gibbs Racing crew members were part of a lengthy penalty report Tuesday that also included a one-race suspension for Bubba Wallace, who was deemed to have violated NASCAR’s Member Code of Conduct for intentionally wrecking Kyle Larson at Las Vegas.
Other penalties announced Tuesday by NASCAR:
--In the Xfinity Series, Jeremy Clements Racing was given an L1 penalty for violating Section 14.4.B.E: Body; the penalty report noted the “Flange Fit Composite Body must be used as supplied from the manufacturer without modification.” Crew chief Mark Setzer was fined $25,000 and suspended from Saturday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The team and driver Jeremy Clements each were docked 40 points.
--Chris Gayle, crew chief for Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 Joe Gibbs Raicng Toyota in the Xfinity Series, was fined $5,000 for one loose lug nut after last Saturday’s race at Las Vegas.
Andrew Abbott also has been reinstated and is eligible to return to all NASCAR activity.
