Panel upholds NASCAR’s L1 penalty to Erik Jones’ team
The National Motorsports Appeal Panel upheld NASCAR’s penalties against Erik Jones’ No. 43 team for a modified part on his Coca-Cola 600 car.
The modified part was found in the greenhouse area of the car.
NASCAR suspended crew chief Dave Elenz for two races and fined him $75,000. They also docked Jones and the team 60 championship points and five playoff points.
The team appealed but panelists Chuck Deery, Dixon Johnston and Cathy Rice denied the appeal Wednesday, explaining:
“The penalty was consistent with previously assessed penalties for similar situations. The rule book is clear that teams are not allowed to modify single-source parts, and therefore the penalty was upheld.”
Elenz sat out Sonoma and only has one race left on his suspension. Therefore, he’ll sit out this Sunday’s Chicago Street Course race and return next Sunday at Atlanta.
Jones will remain 30th in NASCAR Cup Series points, 133 points out of a playoff spot with nine races left until the playoffs.
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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