Kyle Busch’s team, including crew chief Adam Stevens, could face a heavy penalty this week after a left-rear wheel came off following a Lap 19 pit stop at Dover International Speedway.

“If you don’t tighten the lug nuts and you drop the jack, the wheel’s going to fall off,” Stevens said. “That’s what happened.”

Busch started from the pole and was leading the AAA 400 when he came down pit road for his first pit stop. When the jackman dropped the jack, Busch vaulted off pit road – with the lead – but the left rear came off before he ever made it to the backstretch.

A disastrous pit stop for @KyleBusch leaves the No. 18 without a left-rear tire.#NASCARonFS1 @MonsterMile https://t.co/WMUnKLq3qp

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 4, 2017

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Limping back to pit road on three wheels, the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team put a new wheel on and repaired damage to the fender. Busch came charging back through the field into contention but a loose wheel late in the race forced him to pit road and he unofficially finished 16th.

Stevens had not yet followed up with his team to see what the issue was on the first stop, but said there was nothing wrong with the air gun.

“If you use it properly, it tightens the lug nuts,” Stevens said. “It wasn’t used properly.”

Per the NASCAR rulebook under minimum safety penalty options: “Loss of wheel(s) due to improper installation will result in a mandatory minimum four Race suspension for the crew chief and tire changer and tire carrier of the lost wheel(s).”

Owner Joe Gibbs was seen outside the NASCAR hauler after the race in the hope of pleading for leeway.

“Hopefully, what they understand is we didn’t even get the wheel on the car, really, and we didn’t even have a chance to hit lug nuts,” Gibbs told USA TODAY Sports. “So, that’s what we’re going to explain to them and then its up to them.

“The rule is, if you’re trying to screw around and not get lug nuts on. That’s my understanding. We’ll see what they say.”

Unfortunately for NASCAR, this is not the only wheel issue they will have to rule on this week.

Friday night in the Camping World Truck Series race pole-sitter Chase Briscoe suffered the same fate when he made a pit stop. Briscoe’s truck is owned by Brad Keselowski, who said his team met with NASCAR after the race about the incident and the rule.

Keselowski expressed hope NASCAR would take into account the intent of the team, which he feels matters, because they were not trying to gain positions by not tightening all the lug nuts.

“I don’t think anybody intends for a wheel to fly off,” Stevens said when that was mentioned to him. “[The team] made a mistake and we’re going to pay for it.”