Todd Parrott has been indefinitely suspended by NASCAR for violating the sanctioning body’s Substance Abuse Policy. Parrott has been serving as the crew chief of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford.
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. — Aric Almirola (@aric_almirola) October 17, 2013
Parrott was found to have violated Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 19 (violation of the NASCAR Substance Abuse Policy) of the 2013 NASCAR Rule Book.
Parrot’s employment status is unclear, as now Parrott will have to enter NASCAR’s ‘Road to Recovery’ program in order to come back into the sport. The team said any further talk on Parrott’s future would be taken next week.
Upon notification of Parrott’s suspension, RPM said they fully support Parrott’s indefinite suspension by NASCAR.
“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,” said Johns. “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 crew chief to many over the years, starting his career in NASCAR’s top series in 1995. He led Dale Jarrett to his 1999 Championship. Parrott left Yates to join Petty Enterprises in 2006. Parrott also worked at Roush Fenway Racing, and JTG Daugherty Racing.
Parrott joined RPM at the beginning of 2012 where he paired with Marcos Ambrose before moving over to crew chief for Aric Almirola in the Fall of 2012.
Sammy Johns, Vice President of Operations and Competition, will handle crew chief duties on the No. 43 Ford this weekend at Talladega. He will also handle these duties on an interim basis until further notice.
