Tyler Reddick is the latest NASCAR Cup Series driver to be docked points for vehicle infractions. On Tuesday, NASCAR announced Reddick has received a ten-point deduction after his #45 23XI Racing Toyota Camry was found to have an unsecured ballast during inspection prior to qualifying for the Darlington Raceway round.
The infraction broke Section 14.11.2.1.A of the rulebook stipulating that “[a]ny and all ballast added to the vehicle must be secured inside a ballast container(s) […] Additional ballast containers will not be permitted to be added to the chassis.”
Crew chief Billy Scott was kicked out for the rest of the weekend and the #45 team was not allowed to select their pit stall. Team performance director Dave Rogers served as Reddick’s interim crew chief as he finished twenty-second.
Reddick had also failed pre-qualifying inspection the week before at Kansas, doing so twice and losing his car chief Michael Hobson.
Credit: NASCAR
Due to its denseness, ballast can pose a safety hazard if it falls out of a car during a race. Ryan Blaney received the same penalty as Reddick at the 2020 Southern 500, incidentally also at Darlington, while larger punishments can be applied if the ballast issue occurs mid-session.
Multiple drivers have suffered points penalties in the first third of the 2023 season of varying degrees. Denny Hamlin, Reddick’s boss as the co-owner of 23XI, lost twenty-five points for driving conduct at Phoenix in March, while four Chevrolet teams had since-overturned 100-point deductions for louver violations.
Compared to those cases, Reddick’s penalty is relatively light at just ten points. Still, it drops him from eighth to tenth in the standings. He is already locked into the playoffs after winning at Circuit of the Americas.
Erik Jones was also penalised at Darlington after his right-rear wheel came loose and rolled down the track due to a wreck in Stage #3. He lost his jackman Nate McBride and rear tyre changer Adam Riley to two-race suspensions.