An appeals panel has amended the penalty issued earlier in the month to Chris Buescher and the RFK Racing No. 17 team.
The infraction, you may recall, stemmed from the amount of reinforcement placed between the front bumper cover and protective foam inside the shell. Specifically, the team exceeded the two-inch maximum bonded material allowed by the Cup Series rule book.
Instead of receiving a 60-point penalty, the National Motorsports Appeals panel upheld the penalty but reduced it to just a 30-point deduction. However, the loss of five playoff points and the $75,000 fine remains intact.
Buescher is now just six points out of a playoff spot instead of 36 but will have to win once to even offset the negative five playoff point hole he would begin the playoffs with should he advance. A win pays five playoff points and each stage win pays a single playoff point.
The appeals panel consisted of former Truck Series team owner Tom DeLoach, Speedway Motorsports lawyer Cary Tharrington and longtime racer and track promoter Kevin Whitaker, who offered the following statement.
“The panel concluded that NASCAR met its burden of proof regarding the reinforcement of the front bumper cover but did not meet it regarding the trimming of the exhaust panel cover. The rule book regarding the exhaust panel trimming lacked specificity on the amount trimmed or not trimmed. Accordingly, the panel reduced the owner and driver points penalty from 60 to 30 points.”
“We appreciate the opportunity to present our case to the National Motorsports Appeals Panel today and are pleased that the panel overturned one of the two assessed penalties,” RFK Racing said in a Wednesday statement issued to its social media accounts. “Our goal is to always comply fully with the letter of the NASCAR Rule Book, and our focus is now looking forward to competing for a win in Nashville this weekend.”
