(June 28, 2023)
The National Motorsports Appeals Panel today heard and considered an appeal of an L1 penalty issued on June 7, 2023 to crew chief Dave Elenz, driver Erik Jones and owner Maury Gallagher in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The penalty concerns the following sections of the 2023 NASCAR Rule Book: Section 14.1.C&D Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules and 14.1.2.B Engineering Change Log. The penalties issued were the loss of 60 championship points and 5 Playoff Points to the driver and owner and a $75,000 fine and two race suspension to the crew chief.
Upon hearing the testimony, the decisions of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel are:
1. That the Appellant violated the Rule(s) set forth in the Penalty Notice.
2. That the Panel affirms and upholds the original Penalty assessed by NASCAR.
In reaching the above decision, the panel provided the following explanation: “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.”
The Appeals Panel members for this hearing:
- Mr. Chuck Deery
- Mr. Dixon Johnston
- Ms. Cathy Rice
The Appellant has the right to appeal the decision of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel to the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer in accordance with the NASCAR Rule Book.
