Bob Pokras
Fox Motorsports Insider
Chase Briscoe won a complaint to NASCAR on Wednesday, a 100-point penalty that was issued after the Daytona 500 for his spoiler-based hole, which was bigger than when offered to the team.
Three appeal committees overturned the penalty. This included a four-race suspension to Crew Chief James Small and a $100,000 fine for Joe Gibbs Racing.
“The panel believes that some hole extensions in the No. 19 cup car spoiler base are caused by the process of attaching that particular spoiler base to the rear deck.
Points are 72 points and reverse Briscoe from 14th place to tie.
The appeal was heard by longtime motorsports marketing executive Dixon Johnston, former Speed Channel president Hunter Nickel, and former South Boston Speedway general manager Kathy Rice.
NASCAR does not have the option to reverse any decisions about the final appeal. This is an option available if your team/driver loses his initial appeal.
NASCAR discovered that after returning the Briscoe pole-winning Daytona 500 cars back to the R&D centre following the race, the spoiler-based hole used to attach it to the car was larger than when the piece was supplied.
Whether or not it affected performance, NASCAR tends to take hardlines when parts of a single source are changed, and therefore issues large fines and point penalties to Briscoe and his team.
JGR showed that the size of the hole was increased to bolt the spoiler base and use the necessary bolts to match where the hole should be on the deck lid.
“The problem was caused in the assembly process when the bolt was used to attach a spoiler base to the deck lid.
It was a big day with NASCAR penalty news. This fined $50,000 for docking Austin Syndric 50 points and retaliating against Ty Dillon with a right rear hook on a US circuit Sunday, but stopped him from halting for maneuvering.
A NASCAR spokesman indicated that NASCAR did not interrupt Cindric because:
– The slow pace at which the incident occurred on the road course (for speed at 1.5 miles or more).
– Dillon’s car was able to continue the race without any major impact or damage (the Cowri Racing team shows that Dillon’s car caused serious damage).
– It was not paying attention.
– One-race suspension didn’t feel right, and the punishment would include drivers who lose all the playoff points they’ve earned during the regular season, but it would have been too serious about what happened.
Bob Pockras covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for Fox Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500, in stints in ESPN, Sports News, NASCAR Sheen Magazine, and (Daytona Beach) News Journal. Follow him on Twitter @Bob Pokkuras.
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