INDYCAR has announced a post-race technical inspection penalty for the entry No. 14 of A.J. Foyt Enterprises following Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. The car, driven by Santino Ferrucci to a second-place finish, was found to be under the required driver ballast weight following the event.
During post-race inspection, INDYCAR discovered that the driver ballast needed to bring the combined weight of the driver and driver ballast to the required 185 pounds was underweight and not within the driver ballast weight tolerance of 0.00 to + 1.00 pounds.
However, the series also found that the weight of car No. 14 itself was 10 pounds over the minimum weight requirement of 1,785 pounds for road and street circuits, meaning the car competed over the minimum weight requirement on-track.
A.J. Foyt Enterprises was found to be in violation of Rule 14.4.2. (Driver Equivalency Weight), Rule 14.4.2.2. (Driver Equivalency Weight must bring the combined weight of the Driver and Driver ballast to 185 pounds), and Rule 14.4.2.5. (The Driver ballast weight tolerance is 0.00 to + 1.00 pounds).
These rules are in place to equalize the weight of varying-sized drivers, ensuring there is no advantage based on the weight of the driver. Post-race weight determination is a common practice in nearly all forms of motorsports to ensure an equal playing field.
As a result of the violation, the No. 14 entry has been fined $25,000 and will forfeit 25 championship driver and entrant points. The bonus point for leading a lap will not be awarded, and the No. 14 is ineligible for engine points and prize money associated with the race. However, Ferrucci will be allowed to keep his second-place finish.
If you enjoyed this story, be sure to follow Motorsport Reports on Microsoft Start.
