NASCAR suspends crew chief for Aric Almirola for 3 races

Posted May 10, 2017 7:00 am

The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - The crew chief for Aric Almirola is the latest to earn a NASCAR suspension for a failed inspection.

Drew Blickensderfer was suspended three races because Almirola's fourth-place car at Talladega Superspeedway had too much rear skew. He was also fined $65,000 and Almirola was docked 35 points.

It is the same penalty Brad Keselowski's team earned earlier this year, and Team Penske lost its fight to appeal the punishments.

The Almirola penalty drops the Richard Petty Motorsports driver three spots in the Cup standings from 17th to 20th. RPM engineering director Scott McDougall will replace Blickensderfer during the suspension.

Also under suspension is Joey Logano crew chief Todd Gordon because Logano's winning car at Richmond failed inspection.

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More AP auto racing: http://racing.ap.org

Aric Almirola celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway, Saturday, May 6, 2017, in Talladega, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) The Associated Press

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