NASCAR fines Joey Logano $10,000 for glove infraction at Atlanta

NASCAR has fined Joey Logano $10,000 for an alteration to his racing glove last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Logano’s glove was webbed between the thumb and forefinger so when he stuck it out the window during his qualifying run last weekend it could create an aerodynamic advantage.

NASCAR penalized Logano and the team for the competition infraction by sending him to the rear of the field for the start of the race and requiring him to pass through pit road on the opening lap. Logano had qualified second. He finished the race 28th.

Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, explained Tuesday on “The Morning Drive” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that Logano’s infraction covered two areas — completion and safety.

The fine announced Tuesday covered the safety aspect.

NASCAR cited Logano for violating Sections 14.3.1.1 A & B & F in the Cup Rule Book.

Section 14.3.1.1.A reads: It is the responsibility of the driver, not NASCAR, to ensure that he/she maintains, wears, and properly uses protective clothing and equipment.

Section 14.3.1.1.B reads: Protective clothing and equipment must be worn, maintained, and used in accordance with the manufacturer/supplier directions.

Section 14.3.1.1.F reads: During an Event, drivers must comply with Driver Protective Clothing/Equipment Requirements.

“If you take exactly what happened at the racetrack from a competition perspective and trying to enhance the performance on the racetrack — we see time and time again at superspeedways and other events where drivers stick their hand out the window,” Sawyer said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “That’s not something that we’ve been all that alarmed about.

“When you take it to the level that you have modified one of the safety equipment, gloves in particular and then using that. So the penalty at the racetrack was based off that. We disallowed the qualifying time, put (Logano) at the back and also had them perform a pass through penalty under green.

“Now, the next step of that is when you look at safety equipment, we look at this very, we take this very seriously. There have been numerous meetings over time about safety of the car and the equipment and the drivers.”

Sawyer noted by adding the webbing to the glove, a safety item had been altered in a way that it was not intended.