No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Team Penalized for Separation of Wheel at Fontana

Two pit crew members from the No. 19 team will serve a two-race suspension.

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Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Cup Series team will be without starting tire changer Danny Olszowy and jack man Kellen Mills as both team members will serve a two-race suspension due to the separation of the left front wheel of the car following a pit stop at Auto Club Speedway.

According to the penalty report from NASCAR, the two crew members were found to be in violation of sections 8.8.10.4.C of the NASCAR Cup Series rulebook.

While its not ideal for two of the starting members of the No. 19 pit crew to be out for the next two events, Joe Gibbs Racing features one of the most deep pit crew rosters in the sport.

Michael Louria will serve as the tire changer in place of Olszowy, while David O'Dell will serve as jack man in place of Mills.

Louria had been the starting tire changer for the No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team over the opening two events of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, while O'Dell, a long-time veteran of the sport, was the jack man for Travis Pastrana and the No. 67 23XI Racing team in the season-opening Daytona 500.

Both crew members will be eligible to return to the No. 19 team for the March 19th event at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Here is a video from the FOX race broadcast of the infraction from Sunday's Pala Casino 400:

The silver lining for the No. 19 team is that NASCAR recently reduced the penalties for the separation of wheel infractions heading into the 2023 season.

Prior to the 2023 season, the penalty for a separated wheel was a four-race suspension for the tire changer and jack man and a four-race suspension for the crew chief as well.

The change in the rules in the offseason will allow crew chief James Small to continue making calls from the pit box, while the two crew members serve their suspensions.

Photo Credit: Nigel Kinrade, LAT Images, Courtesy of Toyota Racing

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