Truex Jr and team fined and penalised

The No. 1 car driven by Truex didn't meet NASCAR's roof templates during the opening day inspection and was impounded by officials and later examined in detail at NASCAR's Research and Development Centre in Concord, North Carolina.

As a result of the findings, Truex has been docked 150 points in the drivers' standing, and team owner Teresa Earnhardt has also been docked the same amount in the owners' standing, dropping Truex down to 18th in the championship.

Both the crew chief, Kevin Manion, and the car chief, Gary Putnam, have been suspended from the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, and from NASCAR until August 27, which means they will only be back for the second race of the year at Fontana.

They have also been placed on NASCAR probation until the end of the year, and Manion has been fined US $100,000.

The penalties come as a massive blow for DEI and Truex, probably placing them out of contention for the championship. Truex, the leading DEI driver in the points standing, is now more than 200 points away from 12th place.

It remains to be seen how the penalties might affect the future of Truex with DEI, as both parties are said to be still in discussions for 2009.