The bizarre reason why Aric Almirola was penalized in Phoenix

Aric Almirola's penalties cost him his seventh consecutive top twenty finishes at the Phoenix Raceway.

<strong>The bizarre reason why Aric Almirola was penalized in Phoenix</strong>

Aric Almirola. Image via NASCAR

Like every driver, Aric Almirola hoped for a good NASCAR Cup Series race at the Phoenix Raceway. Unfortunately, he had to deal with a wheel issue. An incident occurred on lap 138, Almirola crashed into the wall, and his wheel came off. This brought out the caution. However, there was only a part of the wheel on the track, the rest of it was attached to his No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang. 

While Almirola made it back to the pit road, he had to spend extra time in the garage as the team was repairing a toe link. Things only got worse after that. NASCAR gave Aric Almirola a penalty for not installing the wheel properly. He was held for two extra laps. Naturally, Almirola fell way behind the leaders. 

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Radio messages between Almirola and his team revealed it was not the usual tire installation issue that led to the lost wheels. The hub had broken before he crashed into the wall. Bob Pockrass from Fox Sports stated that he made a discovery thanks to the NASCAR officials. Various angles of the replay were studied. It was revealed that the lug nut had come off the car before the crash. 

Related: “We got a top 10, that’s pretty amazing,” Super-sub Josh Berry ecstatic with career best Cup finish

Aric Almirola is to face another penalty at the Atlanta Motor Speedway

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Aric Almirola.Image via Forbes

Almirola’s crew chief, Drew Blickensderfer, admitted the wheel was not tight. This is the reason behind the penalty. NASCAR officials held Aric Almirola for two laps. It cost him time in the race. This is a part of the newly updated penalty system regarding the wheels lost during a race. NASCAR officials take this very seriously.

There is a possibility of a second penalty ahead of the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The team has a high chance of serving a two-race penalty. This would sideline them in COTA and Atlanta. The NASCAR officials will make the decision. In 2023, the No.19 team of Joe Gibbs Racing received a penalty for losing a wheel. Martin Truex lost a wheel during stage two at the Auto Club Speedway. The officials were strict and held him for two laps, they also suspended two crew members for two races.

As per Bob Pockrass’ update, Aric Almirola will most likely serve a penalty. However, the team owner Tony Stewart could try to appeal the decision and get it overturned. In 2022, many teams appealed the lost wheel penalty, but they lost their case. Two of the teams were Joe Gibbs Racing and Kaulig Racing. Almirola is known for his success at the Superspeedway. He won two of his three Cup Series at Talladega and Daytona International Speedway. He also had a good run in the Phoenix Raceway. Aric Almirola would have had six consecutive top twenty finishes at the Phoenix Raceway if not for the broken wheel and managed toe link. Due to that, he had to spend five laps behind the race leaders. 

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