Justin Haley's crew chief suspended for loose wheel at Kansas Speedway

On Tuesday, NASCAR issued penalties to Justin Haley's Kaulig Racing team after his #31 Chevrolet Camaro lost a wheel during the recently concluded AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Officials handed suspensions to Kaulig Racing crew chief Trent Owens and crew members Marshall McFadden (Jack Man) and Jonpatrick Kealey (Rear-Tire Changer) for the next four races.

Motorsports journalist Bob Pockrass confirmed the news on Twitter by writing:

“For the wheel coming off the Justin Haley car at Kansas, Kaulig crew chief Trent Owens and two crew members have been issued four-race suspensions (All-Star, Charlotte, Gateway, Sonoma). This is the second time this season Owens/this team has had this penalty.”

The infraction falls under Section 10.5.2.6 in the NASCAR Rule Book, which penalizes teams for the loss or separation of an improperly installed tire/wheel from the vehicle.

The incident took place on lap 39 at the AdventHealth 400, when the left-rear wheel came off from Justin Haley’s #31 Chevrolet. Haley, however, was able to back up and return to the pit road for a new tire, but his day kept going downward.

The 23-year-old made an early exit after just 64 of the 267 laps due to an electrical failure. This technical problem brought about Haley’s first DNF of the 2022 season.

The #31 Kaulig Racing team will be without their suspended crew chief and crew members for the next four races at Texas Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Gateway Motorsports Park, and the Sonoma Raceway.

The respective members of the team will be eligible to return on June 26 at Nashville Superspeedway. Apart from that, there were no other penalties issued to teams from last week’s Kansas Speedway.

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Justin Haley’s team suspended for the second time this season due to a loose wheel issue

Justin Haley’s Kaulig Racing team is the first repeat offender of the season of NASCAR’s loose wheel policy.

Haley’s #31 Chevrolet also lost a wheel during the season-opening Daytona 500. Crew chief Owens and two crew members, John McFadden and Jacob Nelson, were handed a four-race suspension.

However, the crew members participated during the appeals process, but missed races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Circuit of the Americas, Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway.

Kansas Speedway marks the ninth occasion so far in the 2022 NASCAR season, where a team has been suspended due to tire loss issues during Cup Series races.