Front Row Motorsports to appeal Todd Gilliland's four-race suspension over penalty at Fontana
Crew chief Seth Barbour, as well as two crewmembers, were suspended after Gilliland lost a wheel on pit road
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1 min read
As teams and pit crews try to get accustomed to the new wheels on NASCAR's Next Gen car, three teams have already seen four-race suspensions be levied against them for the loss of an improperly installed tires and wheels. This time, it's the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports team's turn to pay the price for losing a wheel.
On Tuesday, NASCAR announced that Front Row Motorsports crew chief Seth Barbour, as well as two crewmembers Jourdan Osinskie and Tanner Andrews, have been suspended for the next four Cup Series races for a violation of Safety Sections 10.5.2.6 (Loss or separation of an improperly installed tire/wheel from the vehicle). The No. 38 Ford, driven by Todd Gilliland, lost a wheel while on pit road under caution during last weekend's race at Auto Club Speedway.
On Wednesday afternoon, Front Row Motorsports announced their intentions to appeal the suspension. This will result in the suspension to Barbour and crewmembers being deferred until it can be heard by NASCAR.
Despite the major pit road hiccup, Gilliland was able to recover and pick up a 20th place finish -- his first top 20 in just his second Cup start. Losing his crew chief, however, would be quite a blow to Gilliland's development in his first season in Cup after several years in the Camping World Truck Series.
Front Row Motorsports becomes the third Cup team to have crewmembers suspended for a wheel falling off their car in just two races this season, joining The Money Team Racing's No. 50 team and Kaulig Racing's No. 31 team -- both of whom lost wheels in the Daytona 500. Like Front Row, Kaulig has also appealed the suspensions levied against them, which allowed crew chief Trent Owens to work with his team and driver Justin Haley last weekend.
The rash of suspensions has occurred as teams attempt to adjust to the wheels of the Next Gen car, which feature only a single lug nut compared to the five lug nut configuration traditionally seen in NASCAR wheels.
