The No. 43 NASCAR Chevy Camaro ZL1, driven by Erik Jones and fielded by Legacy Motor Club (LMC), incurred penalties after the Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway on May 14th, 2023. A wheel came loose from the race car, which is against the NASCAR Rule Book, prompting the sanctioning body to deal crewmember suspensions to the No. 43 Chevy team.
Jones’ No. 43 Camaro lost its right rear wheel during the restart to kick off Stage 3 of the race, sending him spinning and collecting quite a few competitors in a wreck, including his LMC teammate – Noah Gragson in the No. 42 NASCAR Chevy. Jones limped his No. 43 Camaro race car onto Pit Road for service as the caution flag flew. Jones’ No. 43 Camaro would ultimately finish 25th, a far cry from his winning performance at Darlington the last time the Cup Series visited the track in September 2022.
Upon review of the incident, NASCAR deemed that the No. 43 Camaro team was in violation of Section 8.8.10.4.C of the NASCAR Rule Book. This section specifically refers to “Loss or separation of an improperly installed tire/wheel from the vehicle.”
As a result, two No. 43 NASCAR Chevy team crewmembers have been suspended from the next two racing events. Nate McBride, jackman, and Adam Riley, rear tire changer, will be unable to compete for the next two weeks. At this time, LMC has not indicated if it will attempt to appeal the penalties before the National Motorsports Appeals Panel.
Beginning with the 2024 Cup Series season, LMC, which is part-owned by NASCAR legends Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson, will switch to running Toyota TRD Camry race cars, abandoning its longstanding relationship with Chevrolet Racing. Jones will continue to pilot the No. 43 race car, while Gragson will continue to drive the No. 42 race car for the team after the switch.
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Comment
WTF, wheels come off race cars all the time. What’s next, NASCAR doesn’t like the color of the drivers shoes.