NASCAR announced a series of changes Thursday to the Rule Book that limit the National Motorsports Appeals Panel on how much they can rescind with a penalty and that the panel’s explanation can be published.
The biggest change is that the panel “may not completely remove any element of the originally assessed Penalty” if it finds a penalty has taken place. If it finds the penalty didn’t occur, the penalty can be rescinded.
The changes are effective as of Thursday night. They are not retroactive to the appeals earlier this week, including Thursday afternoon’s decision by the appeals panel to uphold the penalties to Denny Hamlin.
The move comes after confusing decisions by the appeals panel in recent decisions involving Hendrick Motorsports and Kaulig Racing.
The panel rescinded the 100 points and 10 playoff points to the Hendrick drivers and teams for the team’s infraction with hood louvers while keeping the suspensions and fines to each team’s crew chiefs. The panel reduced the 100-point penalty by 25 points to Justin Haley and Kaulig Racing for a hood louver violation.
Had the rule change been in place earlier, Hendrick Motorsports’ drivers and teams would not have gotten their 100 points back.
Here are the changes:
Section 11.10.2.C was updated to include the phrase: “Appeals Panel may not completely remove any element of the originally assessed Penalty provided in the Penalty Notice as defined in Section 10.5.2 Determination of Penalties; modifications to a Penalty are limited to the minimum and maximum ranges, as listed in the Rule Book. By way of example, if NASCAR assessed a Penalty that consisted of Points reductions, monetary fines, and suspensions, all three elements of the originally assessed Penalty must remain, but the amount of each element could be adjusted within the minimum and maximum Penalty ranges.”
Section 11.20.1.C was updated to include: “The Final Appeals Officer may not completely remove any element of the originally assessed Penalty provided in the Penalty Notice as outlined in Section 10.5.2 Determination of Penalties; modifications to a Penalty are limited to the minimum and maximum ranges as listed in the Rule Book. By way of example, if NASCAR assessed a Penalty that consisted of Points reductions, monetary fines, and suspensions, all three elements of the originally assessed Penalty must remain, but the amount of each element could be adjusted within the minimum and maximum Penalty ranges.”
Section 11.29.A was updated to state that NASCAR can release the panel’s explanation for its decision: :”NASCAR shall have the right to publish any decision of the Appeals Panel/FAO, including without limitation, the names of the parties involved and the Appeals Panel/FAO justification for modifying or rescinding a Penalty.”
