NASCAR announce major Cup Series penalty after Kansas

NASCAR has announced an official penalty following last weekend's Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.

The AdventHealth 400 saw Kyle Larson pilot his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a stunning 32nd career win in the series, claiming the record for the most laps led at the track in the process.

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During the post-race inspections this week in North Carolina, officials found evidence of an infraction from the No.17 team of Sections 14.1.C [Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules] and 14.5.4.G[Front Bumper Cover].

It has now been determined that the RFK Racing team exceeded the maximum reinforcement allowed for the front bumper covers on Chris Buescher's vehicle, handing out an L1-level penalty over the violation.

Buescher drove his Ford to an eighth-place finish in Kansas and sat in 12th place in the championship standings prior to the penalty.

The 32-year-old has now dropped to 24th place as a result of the ruling, which crucially also means he now has a fight on his hands to steer clear of the elimination line, now 27 points behind the amount needed to make it into provisional 16.

RFK Racing hit with suspension after Kansas violation

RFK Racing and driver Buescher were each assessed with the loss of 60 championship points, five playoff points, and the team has also been hit with a $75,000 fine.

On top of this, crew chief Scott Graves has been suspended for the next two races on the Cup Series calendar, meaning a return is not expected in time for the next championship round in Charlotte.

Doug Randolph appears to have stepped in after the suspension having been named as the team’s crew chief on an updated list for the NASCAR All-Star Race entries ahead of this weekend's event.

RFK Racing have released a statement announcing that a review of the details was underway to determine whether an appeal would be filed over the penalty.

A post on the team's official social media pages read: "RFK Racing acknowledges the penalties assessed by NASCAR to the No.17 Ford Mustang following this weekend's race in Kansas.

"We remain committed to full compliance with NASCAR's rules. At this time, we are carefully reviewing the details of the situation to determine if we will file an appeal within the timeframe allotted."

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