Daytona Beach, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - NASCAR announced on Thursday that Sprint Cup Series crew chief Todd Parrott has been indefinitely suspended for violating the sanctioning body's substance abuse policy.
Parrott, 49, is the crew chief for Richard Petty Motorsports' No. 43 Ford, driven by Aric Almirola. RPM said in a release that Sammy Johns, vice president of operations and competition, will handle crew chief duties for the No. 43 team this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
"We have an expectation of all RPM employees to conduct themselves at the highest level of professionalism and within the competitive confines as set forth by NASCAR," Johns said in a team statement. "We are very disappointed that one of our employees did not meet our expectations, and we completely support NASCAR, their policies and final decisions when it comes to the substance abuse policy."
Parrott has been a long-time crew chief in NASCAR's premier series. In 1999, he won the Cup Series championship with driver Dale Jarrett when they were both at Robert Yates Racing. Parrott also guided Jarrett to victories in the Daytona 500 in 1996 and 2000.
Almirola is currently 18th in the Sprint Cup point standings. Parrott has been his crew chief since September 2012.
"Todd Parrott is a good crew chief, a good person, and a good friend. I'll be a big cheerleader of his to get thru this difficult time," Almirola posted on his Twitter Account after learning of Parrott's suspension.
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