NASCAR penalty report released after Pocono weekend

NASCAR has handed out its penalty report from the weekend at Pocono and there was one major penalty in the Xfinity Series. The No. 17 car driven by Chase Elliott was found to have a violation.

The violation pertained to the main frame rail conical receivers, a specification detailed in Sections 14.3.3.2.1.1 K&L of the NASCAR rule book. The issue was found during inspection at the R&D Center in North Carolina.

As a result of the penalty, the No. 17 Xfinity Series team has been fined $40,000 and hit with a loss of 40 owner points and 10 owner playoff points. It’s a steep penalty.

Meanwhile, crew chief Adam Wall has been suspended for three races. He’ll have to miss time.

The No. 17 Xfinity Series car has seen a number of drivers this season prior to Pocono, entered in 10 of 16 races. Corey Day, William Byron, Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman have all driven it for Hendrick.

Pocono turns in prime ratings

The ratings from the final weekend of NASCAR on Prime Video are in. But it’s worth noting the race was up against some stiff competition on the airwaves.

Prime Video reportedly got 1.869 million viewers for Sunday’s Cup Series rain-delayed race at Pocono, according to the Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern. That was down from the numbers on network television a year ago.

Last year, the race this weekend pulled 2.391 million viewers on the USA Network. That race also had to contend with some challenges, notably the attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.

This weekend, at Pocono, NASCAR had to contend with the delay as well as the breaking news of the United States joining Israel in strikes on Iran. That certainly would have siphoned off at least some viewers.

In any case, it was a relatively impressive showing from Prime Video, given the circumstances. And as NASCAR looks to decide the future of its broadcasting partnerships, it’ll certainly be something to consider.

Another element from this weekend’s race? Prime Video’s post-race broadcast has drawn nearly unanimous praise from viewers for being one of the most thorough and entertaining parts of the race.

The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck reported that Prime Video claimed it retained 43% of its race audience on the post-race show. That is a highly competitive figure and could force NASCAR’s broadcast partners to rethink their approach.