Shortly after the news that Kyle Busch‘s crew chief, Adam Stevens, was the first to be suspended for violating NASCAR’s revised lug nut rule, a peer chimed in on the rule.
Rodney Childers, crew chief for Kevin Harvick (the runner-up to Busch at Kansas Speedway), lamented the suspension of Stevens on Twitter. Childers said “there is no way around” a lug nut being loose or falling off at some point in a race.
NASCAR’s rule book states all five lug nuts on a wheel must be fastened in a “safe and secure manner at all times during the event.”
The revised lug nut rule was issued on April 25, prior to the race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
Stevens is the third Sprint Cup crew chief to be suspended this year. Cole Pearn, crew chief for Martin Truex Jr., was suspended for the race weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for a roof flap violation at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Nick Sandler, chew chief for Ricky Stenhouse Jr., was suspended for the Talladega race for an “improper steering wheel coupler” found during the prior race weekend at Richmond International Raceway.
