NASCAR hits Hendrick Motorsports, Kaulig Racing with big penalties; appeals coming
NASCAR levied massive penalties against all four Hendrick Motorsports teams and Justin Haley’s No. 31 Kaulig Racing team for unapproved parts modifications.
The sanctioning body docked each NASCAR Cup Series team 100 owner points and ten playoff points. They also suspended each crew chief for four Cup races, with a $100,000 fine tacked on.
Except for the No. 9 team, NASCAR also docked each team 100 driver points and ten playoff points. Josh Berry replaced Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Chevrolet at Phoenix and Las Vegas but Berry isn’t running for Cup driver points.
NASCAR confiscated each team’s louvers last weekend at Phoenix Raceway. The sanctioning body inspected the parts at the R&D Center and found unapproved modifications, which prompted the penalties.
After NASCAR levied the penalties, Hendrick Motorsports fired back, saying they plan to appeal based on the following factors:
- Louvers provided to teams through NASCAR’s mandated single-source supplier do not match the design submitted by the manufacturer and approved by NASCAR
- Documented inconsistent and unclear communication by the sanctioning body specifically related to louvers
- Recent comparable penalties issued by NASCAR have been related to issues discovered during a post-race inspection
For now, William Byron’s ten playoff points from his two wins in 2023 are gone. Byron is also 29th in the regular-season points, instead of fourth in the regular-season points.
Kyle Larson’s one playoff point, for a stage win in Phoenix, is also gone. He is also now 32nd in the regular-season points with -9 playoff points, instead of fifth with the playoff point.
Alex Bowman and Justin Haley now have -10 playoff points.
Bowman dropped from the regular-season points lead to 23rd in points. Meanwhile, Haley dropped from 24th in points to 49th in points with -40 points.
Hendrick Motorsports’ full statement after NASCAR announced Wednesday penalties against them and Kaulig Racing:
On Friday at Phoenix Raceway, NASCAR identified louvers on our race cars during a voluntary inspection 35 minutes after the opening of the garage and prior to on-track activity. NASCAR took possession of the parts approximately four hours later with no prior communication. The situation had no bearing on Saturday’s qualifying session or Sunday’s race.
We are disappointed with today’s decision by NASCAR to issue penalties and have elected to appeal based on a variety of facts that include:
- Louvers provided to teams through NASCAR’s mandated single-source supplier do not match the design submitted by the manufacturer and approved by NASCAR
- Documented inconsistent and unclear communication by the sanctioning body specifically related to louvers
- Recent comparable penalties issued by NASCAR have been related to issues discovered during a post-race inspection
For the March 19 NASCAR Cup Series event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, our organization has made the strategic decision not to request deferral of personnel suspensions. Team rosters for this weekend will be updated as soon as substitute crew chiefs are determined.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com