Custer slowed on the final lap of the playoff cut-off race at the Charlotte Roval, blocking Austin Dillon, which helped Briscoe to gain two positions and escape elimination from the championship.
Briscoe was the last of eight drivers to qualify for the semifinal round of the playoffs, edging reigning series champion Kyle Larson by two points. Briscoe, however, was already in position to secure the final spot prior to the incident.
Custer, who after relinquishing a place to Briscoe was then spun in the final chicane by Dillon, has been fined $100,000 and docked 50 driver and owner points. Additionally, crew chief Mike Shiplett has been fined a further $100,000 and indefinitely suspended from NASCAR.
The penalty relates to Sections 4.3.A; 4.4.C & 5.5 of the NASCAR rulebook (Member Code of Conduct/Performance Obligation). Section 5.5 references the ‘100-percent rule’ NASCAR implemented after the 2013 “Spin-gate” scandal involving Michael Waltrip Racing at Richmond, when Clint Bowyer spun to aid the prospects of team-mate Martin Truex Jr.
The penalty does not affect the Round of 8 playoff standings in any way. The team will appeal.
NASCAR’s Scott Miller said on Tuesday that a review of on-track data and radio communications prompted the decision to penalise Custer, with brake, steering, and audio transmissions used to evaluate his actions.
“The #41 slowed abruptly over there on the back straightaway, blocking (Dillon) and allowing a mechanism that (Briscoe) went by the #41 and (Dillon),” Miller said.
Miller said at that time Shiplett came over Custer’s radio and told his driver, “I think you’ve got a flat, check up, check up.”
“He couldn’t see the car to tell if it had a flat,” Miller said of Shiplett.
Cole Custer, Stewart Haas Racing, HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang
Photo by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images
“Nothing contradicted that was done deliberately. Blatantly pulling over and changing the finishing order on the last lap is what makes it over the top, and especially with the instructions from the pit box.
“Everything is intensified in these three-race elimination rounds. So, everything is ramped up. The pressure is ramped up on the teams, the pressure is ramped up on NASCAR to do a good job.
“These sort of things can’t be tolerated at any time but are certainly magnified in an elimination round of the playoffs.”
Miller said a suspension of Custer was “a topic of discussion”.
“We landed on not suspending the driver, he said.
“Really, probably a big reason for that is super-flagrant things that eliminated other competitors or actions that were just completely unacceptable – not that this one was acceptable – but dangerous in nature are really the only things that we’ve in the past sat a driver down for.
“So, we did consider that and we opted not to because of the past precedent.”
Miller said NASCAR did not consider removing Briscoe from the playoffs in part because after a review of his radio transmissions no one ever told him his team-mates would help or assist in any way.
The latest furore surrounding SHR comes a week after another large penalty the team when Kevin Harvick, who has already been eliminated from the playoffs, was hit with a technical violation and docked 100 driver and owner points. Crew chief Rodney Childers was suspended for four of the final five races in the season and they were also fined $100,000.