Speeding In The Pits: NASCAR's Most Penalized Drivers (After Race 1)

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

NASCAR's Most Penalized Drivers (After Race 1)

Photo by Tyler Barrick/Getty Images for NASCAR

The 2012 season did not get started on the right foot for David Gilliland. The Front Row Motorsports Ford driver met NASCAR's wrath four times in Monday's Daytona 500, three times for speeding exiting the pits and once for failing to stop at the end of pit row. Only two other drivers earned serious penalties in the Great American Race. Michael McDowell pitted before the pits were open twice. Unlike most cases where drivers pit before the pits are open in order to fix damaged cars or have other issues, McDowell did not have any issues that would force him to pit early, thus giving him the two serious penalties. Danica Patrick did the same thing McDowell did, however only on one occasion.

#38 David Gilliland
Race 1
Pre-Race to the rear, tail end, backup car
Speed-Exiting pits, tail end
Speed-Exiting pits, tail end
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
Running the stop and go sign/light, 1 lap
Speed-Exiting pits, tail end
1, 1, 4, 0 (4 serious penalties)

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#98 Michael McDowell
Race 1
Safety violation, window net loose
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 0, 2, 1 (3 serious penalties)

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#10 Danica Patrick
Race 1
Pre-Race to the rear, tail end, backup car
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end, garage
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
1, 1, 1, 0 (1 serious penalty)

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#18 Kyle Busch
Race 1
Safety violation, tail end, unapproved work on car
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 1, 0, 1 (1 serious penalty)

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#21 Trevor Bayne
Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end, garage
Safety violation, bumper bar loose
0, 1, 0, 1 (1 serious penalty)

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#99 Carl Edwards
Race 1
Safety violation, tail end, unapproved work on car
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 1, 0, 1 (1 serious penalty)

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#51 Kurt Busch
Race 1
Pre-Race to the rear, tail end, engine change
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end, garage
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
1, 3, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#5 Kasey Kahne
Race 1
Pre-Race to the rear, tail end, backup car
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
1, 1, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#9 Marcos Ambrose
Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 2, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#32 Terry Labonte
Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 2, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#39 Ryan Newman
Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 2, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#13 Casey Mears
Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 1, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#14 Tony Stewart
Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 1, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#15 Clint Bowyer
Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 1, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#24 Jeff Gordon
Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end, garage
0, 1, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#27 Paul Menard
Race 1
Pre-Race to the rear, tail end, backup car
1, 0, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#30 David Stremme
Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end, garage
0, 1, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#31 Jeff Burton
Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 1, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#33 Elliott Sadler
Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 1, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#36 Dave Blaney
Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 1, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#78 Regan Smith
Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 1, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#83 Landon Cassill
Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 1, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

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#87 Joe Nemechek
Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end, garage
0, 1, 0, 0 (0 serious penalties)

Penalty Color Key

Pink - Pre-race Penalty
Orange - Penalty For Pitting Before Pit Road Is Open/Too many crew member(s) in contact with pit service area
Red - Driver Induced Penalty
Green - Pit Crew Induced Penalty
White - Verbal Abuse Toward Official/Safety Violation

Red, green and white designated penalties are considered to be "serious" penalties as they have a more significant affect on the outcome of a driver and team's finish than pink and orange designated penalties.

Please note that NASCAR does not have different designations for penalties. The color designation is for the purpose of this website only.

NASCAR's Race Penalty Procedures

* Driver change before start of the race
PENALTY: Start at the tail of the field

* Use of a backup car after qualifications
PENALTY: Start at the tail of the field

* Engine and/or transmission change after qualifications
PENALTY: Start at the tail of the field

* Adjustments made to car after impound
PENALTY: Start at the tail of the field

* Miss driver's meeting/driver introductions

PENALTY: Start at the tail of the field

* Impeding a competitor during qualifying
PENALTY: Qualifying lap disallowed

* Pitting before Pit Road is open
PENALTY: Restart at the tail of the field

* Too many crew member(s) in contact with pit service area
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Pitting out of order
PENALTY: Restart at the tail of the field

* Car must enter pit road in single file
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Speeding - Entering/Exiting pits
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* All passing on pit road must be to the outside on entry
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Driving through more than 3 pit boxes
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Car pitting out of the assigned pit box
PENALTY: 1 lap

* Crew member interfering with another team's pit stop
PENALTY: NASCAR Discresion

* Running the stop & go sign/light
PENALTY: NASCAR Discretion

* Going above the blend line exiting the pits
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Passing the caution car/truck
PENALTY: 1 lap

* Pulling up to pit (drivers must maintain position in relation to field or face penalty)
PENALTY 1 lap

* Jumping the start/restart
PENALTY: Pass through pits

* Passing after turn three (3) on "One to Go''
PENALTY: Pass through pits

* Passing on a start or restart (before start/finish line)
PENALTY: Pass through pits

* Disobeying NASCAR request
PENALTY: NASCAR Discretion

* Intentionally causing a caution
PENALTY: NASCAR Discretion

* Disobeying Black Flag
PENALTY: NASCAR Discretion

* Commitment Line Violation
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Passing under the double yellow line (at Daytona or Talladega)
PENALTY: Must pass through pits

* Blocking a driver under the yellow line (at Daytona or Talladega)
PENALTY: Must pass through pits

* Disqualification of qualifying time
PENALTY: Start at tail of the field

* Use of extension poles are limited/not self illuminated
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Crew member(s) over the wall too soon
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Crew member(s) returning from equipment side of wall
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Front air wrench must be carried back to pit wall side of car
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Using more than two (2) air wrenches during one pit stop
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Non-Compliant refueling
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Tossing or throwing the fuel filler/equipment
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Tire violation-Removing outside tire acceptable/Rolling a tire(s) beyond the center of pit road
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Unapproved adjustment to car
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Removing equipment from assigned pit area
PENALTY: Stop and Go

* Running over/under equipment
PENALTY: NASCAR Discretion

* Hand pushing car more than 3 pit boxes
PENALTY: Must pass through pits under green; Restart at the tail of the field if under yellow

* Refueling car before the affected car receives the green flag on the race track or does not complete the designated race distance (competition yellow)
PENALTY: Minimum 1 lap

* Verbal abuse to a NASCAR official
PENALTY: NASCAR Discretion

* Safety violation
PENALTY: NASCAR Discretion