QuikTrip 500: Matt Kenseth penalized because of fueler (Video)

Matt Kenseth was penalized because of his feuler’s action on pit road.

There are many rules NASCAR drivers and their crews need to know, and the sheer amount can cause individuals to forget some of them at times.

During his green flag stop on pit road, Matt Kenseth’s feuler cost the driver from staying at the top of pack at the QuikTrip 500.

Kenseth, who was leading and at the top of the pack for most of the race before his stop, was penalized for “improper fueling”. Essentially, once a pit row member engages the fuel tank they are not permitted not allowed to do anything else during the stop. However, this individual could have given the wrench to his pit row companion before engaging the fuel tank to re-fill Kenseth’s tank.

As a penalty, Kenseth was black flagged and had to pass through pit road. His crew chief decided to argue the the issue with a NASCAR official and not communicate what was going on with Kenseth. As a result, the lack of confusion cause Kenseth to have to do the extra run through pit road later in the race than he could have had.

All in all, Joe Gibbs made sure he was communicating with the pit crew and all involved so this doesn’t happen again. Kenseth knows the rules like the inside of his eyelids. He knew they broke the rules once he was told what happened. His crew chief needs to better communicate with the driver, so they don’t fall further back in the race.

Kenseth was running well at Atlanta before the pit row violation. Hopefully, it won’t end up costing him as he tries to win the first race of the season.