Kyle Larson crew chief suspended over lug nut violation

Crew members push the car of Kyle Larson in the garage area before the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race, Sunday, June 5, 2016, in Long Pond, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) (The Associated Press)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Chad Johnston became the fourth crew chief suspended this season by NASCAR over loose lug nuts on a car during a Sprint Cup race.

Kyle Larson's crew chief was also fined $20,000 for the infraction at Pocono earlier this week and will miss Sunday's race at Michigan.

NASCAR began checking cars for properly affixed lug nuts last month after Tony Stewart suggested there was lax enforcement of what he deemed to be a safety issue. Since NASCAR reduced officials on pit road, the sanctioning body no longer ensured teams had the maximum amount of lug nuts (five per tire) as drivers left pit road.

Teams then began skipping lug nuts in an effort to have faster pit stops. Stewart was fined for his criticism, but NASCAR began checking for lug nuts the next week.

Also suspended for one race this season were crew chiefs for Kyle Busch, AJ Allmendinger and Kurt Busch, who won at Pocono with an interim drew chief.