CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The National Motorsports Appeals Panel chose to amend a large penalty placed by NASCAR on Hendrick Motorsports after infractions at Phoenix Raceway.
On Tuesday, the panel chose to remove a points penalty issued to four Hendrick Motorsports teams for unapproved parts modifications on its cars before the race at Phoenix Raceway on March 12. The appeal panel, however, chose to keep the $100,000 fines issued to the teams.
The four teams - which feature drivers Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, William Byron, and Josh Berry - were penalized 100 driver points, 100 owner points, and 10 playoff points along with $100,000 fines after NASCAR officials confiscated the hood louver of each car for radiator duct violations. Four-race suspensions were also handed down to the crew chiefs of each team.
The three-member panel of the NMAP chose to rescind the points penalties but kept in place the fines and crew chief suspensions.
Without the points penalty, Bowman is now the points leader of the NASCAR Cup Series. Byron is in 3rd and Larson is in 9th. Berry does not collect points in the Cup Series as he is replacing the injured Chase Elliott. Instead, Berry competes for the championship in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Byron won the race at Phoenix for his second win in a row. He's the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to make it to victory lane this year.
Hendrick Motorsports commended the move from the panel, saying it was the right thing to do.
“We are grateful to the National Motorsports Appeals Panel for their time and attention,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “Today’s outcome reflects the facts, and we’re pleased the panel did the right thing by overturning the points penalty. It validated our concerns regarding unclear communication and other issues we raised."
NASCAR, meanwhile, was not happy with the decision as they believe a points penalty is an effective deterrent.
"A points penalty is a strong deterrent that is necessary to govern the garage following rule book violations, and we believe that it was an important part of the penalty in this case and moving forward," NASCAR officials said in a statement. "We will continue to inspect and officiate the NASCAR garage at the highest level of scrutiny to ensure a fair and level playing field for our fans and the entire garage.”
Kaulig Racing's No. 31 Justin Haley team was given the same penalty for a similar infraction. They have also appealed the penalty and are awaiting a decision from the NMAP.