NASCAR fines Braun Racing crew chief

NASCAR announced Tuesday that Braun Racing crew chief Trent Owens has been fined $5,000 for improper spacing on the mounts of the rear-end housing on the No. 32 Toyota of David Reutimann.

The rules violation was discovered during inspection before last Friday’s Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, and NASCAR confiscated the rear-end housing.

Upon further evaluation at its research and development center, NASCAR determined that the housing violated section 20A-12A of the Nationwide Series rule book. In announcing the penalty, NASCAR said that “mounting points on the axle housing must be evenly spaced and welded to prevent movement: mounting points were not evenly spaced."