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NASCAR penalizes No. 18 team for loose lug nuts, Busch to have 3rd crew chief in a month

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 - Qualifying

SONOMA, CA - JUNE 24: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Caramel Toyota, stands by his car during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 24, 2017 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Kyle Busch will have to get used to another crew chief atop his pit box this weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

NASCAR penalized Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 team Wednesday for having two unsecured lug nuts at the conclusion of Sunday’s race at Sonoma Raceway.

Section 12.5.2.6.3.b of the NASCAR Rule Book lists the minimum penalty for lug nut violations. The penalty for having two unsecured lug nuts is a one-race suspension for the crew chief and a $20,000 fine.

As a result, engineer and interim crew chief Ben Beshore will be suspended for this weekend’s race.

JGR has named another team engineer, Jacob Canter, as interim crew chief for this weekend. Canter served as interim crew chief for JGR’s No. 20 Xfinity team last weekend at Iowa after Chris Gabehart was suspended two races for a splitter violation found in post-race inspection after Denny Hamlin’s Xfinity win at Michigan.

To complete the two-race Xfinity penalty, yet another JGR engineer, Matt Lucas, will replace Canter atop JGR’s No. 20 Xfinity Series team pit box at Daytona.

With the penalty, Busch will be working with his third different crew chief in the last month. Crew chief Adam Stevens will miss his fourth and final race this weekend for a tire rolling off Busch’s car at Dover. He returns next weekend at Kentucky.

Beshore, meanwhile, had served as Busch’s interim crew chief in Stevens’ absence.

The No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Xfinity Series team was also penalized for loose lug nuts. Crew chief Danny Stockman was fined $5,000 but will not miss any races.