NASCAR penalty: Joey Logano fined $10,000, Ryan Preece and Noah Gragson lose 35 points

NASCAR Cup Series drivers Joey Logano, Noah Gragson, and Ryan Preece have been penalized by NASCAR for breaching the regulations.

Scheduled to start from P2, Team Penske driver Logano was set to defend his 2023 Atlanta Motor Speedway win. However, he made infractions in his glove to get an aerodynamic advantage over his rivals, forcing NASCAR to slam him with penalties hours before the Ambetter Health 400 kicked off on Sunday, Feb. 25.

Joey Logano had to start from the back of the pack and make provision for a pass-through at the first lap of the 260-lap race. Furthermore, the 33-year-old driver has been fined $10,000 for his webbed glove.

Coming to the Stewart-Haas Racing's stable, NASCAR confiscated the roof rails of Gragson's #10 Ford and Preece's #41 Ford on the day of the prerace inspection preceding the Atlanta qualifying run.

According to NASCAR Senior VP of Competition Elton Sawyer, the roof rails failed to adhere to the "CAD drawing" requirements set forth by NASCAR. Following the violation, both, the owner and the drivers received a 35-point penalty (via Frontstretch).

Motorsports journalist Jeff Gluck disclosed the penalties imposed on the Cup drivers on his X (formerly Twitter) account, writing:

"NASCAR penalties: Noah Gragson and Ryan Preece lose 35 points each for the roof rail deflectors. Joey Logano fined $10k for the webbed glove."

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Speaking on Joey Logano's penalty, Xfinity Series driver unfurls performance-enhancing tricks

Joey Logano increased the webbing between his thumb and index finger in his glove. It guides the air out of the cockpit when the driver puts their hand near the netted window to prevent air from entering the car.

It also means a decreased drag and a boost in speed. However, tweaking driver accessories isn't allowed in NASCAR, and Logano faced the consequences as his Atlanta run ended at a dismaying P28.

Xfinity Series driver Parker Kligerman chimed in on Logano's penalty matter and revealed the slight infractions done by the drivers to accelerate their performance.

He said (via Road and Track):

“It’s funny, since I’ve been in NASCAR there have always been these little tricks at superspeedways. In trucks, we try to pull the window net as far forward as possible, drivers will wear black gloves so as they come down the backstretch on the out lap they can try and pull it forward to block the air entering off the A-post. Similar to what Joey Logano was trying to do.”