NASCAR suspends four crew members, but no drivers, for Texas brawl

NASCAR on Tuesday suspended four crew members, but no drivers or crew chiefs, for the post-race brawl in Texas that erupted when an angry Jeff Gordon sought out Brad Keselowski on pit road.

Gordon, who drives for Hendrick Motorsports, was irate after Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford made late-race contact with Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup race Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. The contact cut a tire on Gordon’s car, sending the car into a spin.

Gordon crew members Dwayne Doucette and Jason Ingle were fined $25,000 each and suspended from the next six points-paying Cup races. There are only two races left this season, so the penalty would carry into the 2015 season.

Jeremy Fuller, a crew member on the car of Kasey Kahne -- who is one of Gordon’s teammates -- received the same penalties.

Dean Mozingo, another Gordon crew member, was fined $10,000 and suspended for the next three points-paying Cup races.

Alan Gustafson and Kenny Francis, the crew chiefs for Gordon and Kahne, respectively, were fined $50,000 apiece and placed on probation because they’re responsible for their crews’ actions. But the crew chiefs were not suspended.

“While the intensity and emotions are high” as NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup title playoff nears its climax, “the actions that we saw from several crew members following the race at Texas are unacceptable,” Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s senior vice president for competition and racing development, said in a statement.

“A NASCAR championship is at stake, but we can’t allow behavior that crosses the line to go unchecked, particularly when it puts others in harm’s way,” Pemberton said.

Hendrick Motorsports said it would not appeal the penalities.

The next Cup race is Sunday in Phoenix, followed by the season finale Nov. 16 at Florida’s Homestead-Miami Speedway.

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