Kyle Larson and HMS Pay Heavy Price for an Iconic NASCAR Moment in Texas

Kyle Larson kicked off the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 in the top spot, winning the pole and looking like a solid bet for his second win of 2024 after dominating 77 laps and scooping up the Stage 1 win. But his race took a nosedive on lap 116. Larson was leading under caution when the right rear wheel of his Chevy decided to part ways with the car. He managed to limp back to the pit road without more drama, but the lost wheel cost him a two-lap penalty. To make matters worse, as per the latest reports, his crew had to face a two-race suspension for dropping the ball.

Kyle Larson’s pit crew faced a tough break this week

In what was an expected penalty, two of Kyle Larson’s and HMS’s crew members, Calvin Teague and Brandon Johnson, have been benched for the next two races at Talladega Superspeedway and Dover Motor Speedway. The decision came after a loose wheel debacle during Sunday’s race, which saw Larson’s wheel separate under caution. 

It all went down after Kyle Larson radioed in, saying, “I think I have a flat tire,” just before the wheel came off his Chevy during a caution triggered by a Carson Hocevar spin on Lap 115 at Texas Motor Speedway. Despite the setback, Larson managed to get a free pass to recover one of his laps when Michael McDowell’s crash on Lap 143 brought out another caution, allowing him to get back on the lead lap by the end of Stage 2.

Kyle Larson fought his way back into the top 20 but got tangled up in a crash with Zane Smith in Turn 1, with just seven laps left in regulation. Despite the setback, Larson crossed the finish line in P21 place and managed to keep his lead in the series points, staying 17 points ahead of Martin Truex Jr in the race for the regular-season championship. But the drama didn’t end there. The NASCAR Texas races also saw several safety-related suspensions handed out.

Seven NASCAR national crew members issued suspensions after the Texas race

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After the dust settled on the Texas race, seven NASCAR crew members got hit with suspensions for various safety infractions. Zachary Yager from RFK Racing’s #17 [Chris Buescher‘s] Ford crew will be sitting out the upcoming Talladega race for using a non-approved protective glove. Over at Joe Gibbs Racing, Jacob Holmes of the #20 [Christopher Bell‘s] Toyota team and Doug Warrick of Richard Childress Racing’s #33 [Austin Hill’s] Chevy team will both be missing Talladega too, penalized for sporting unapproved helmets on pit road.

Also, Brandon Harder from JR Motorsports’ #9 [Brandon Jones’s] Chevy team in the Xfinity Series got the hook for wearing an unapproved safety apron. Since Harder doubles as Larson’s fueler, he’ll also sit out the Cup race.

Earlier this season, Joey Logano dropped from a prime starting spot and got fined $10,000 for wearing a non-standard glove in Atlanta. On top of that, a trio of crew chiefs copped fines for loose lug nuts during post-race inspections. Patrick Donahue of the #48 Big Machine Racing and Phillip Bell of JR Motorsports’ #9 both forked over $5,000. Over in the Truck Series, Chris Carrier of the #75 [Stefan Parsons] Henderson Racing team had to lighten his wallet by $2,500 for the same offense.

Rounding out the penalties, Nicholas Covey, a jackman for the #3 RCR Cup team, has been indefinitely suspended under NASCAR’s substance abuse policy.