This is not going to go over well…
Following the NASCAR Cup Series‘ race at Phoenix in early March, all four Hendrick Motorsports cars and Justin Haley received an L2-level penalty for hood louver modification violations which resulted in fines, the quintet’s crew chiefs being suspended, a loss of 100 points in the driver and owner championships, and ten playoff points. Hendrick appealed the penalty last Wednesday, and the National Motorsports Appeals Panel dropped the points deductions while keeping the fines and suspensions intact.
Haley’s Kaulig Racing team launched their own appeal that was heard by the panel the following Wednesday, but received a significantly different verdict despite the same infraction. Although the USD$100,000 (€91,707) fine and four-race suspension of crew chief Trent Owens remain the same, the panel only ruled to reduce the 100-point deduction to 75 while still losing the ten playoff points.
Owing to Hendrick’s status as one of the top teams in the Cup Series versus Kaulig’s more modest standing, allegations of favouritism were quickly thrown around by fans perplexed by the inconsistent rulings.
The panels for the two hearings were different due to a rotating system, with Haley’s being overseen by Raycom Sports CEO Hunter Nickell, former driver Shawna Robinson, and Magic Valley Speedway track promoter Steve York. On the other hand, Hendrick’s came down from the trio of Kelly Housby, Dixon Johnston, and Bill Lester.
Understandably dissatisfied with the result, Kaulig is allowed to and intends to make a final appeal to Bill Mullis, who serves as the Final Appeals Officer.
With the penalty upheld, Haley sits thirty-fifth in the standings, the worst of all full-time drivers. On the plus side, he now has twenty-six points after having to claw his way from negative points territory and exiting the most recent race at Richmond with just one.
