NASCAR upholds RFK Racing penalty

The RFK Racing #6 car’s 100-point penalty will not be dropped by NASCAR, the sanctioning body announced Thursday. The team appealed the verdict to the three-person National Motorsports Appeals Panel, who ruled against its favour.

The #6, driven by co-owner Brad Keselowski, received an L2-level penalty after the Atlanta race in March for breaking Sections 14.1 and 14.5 of the rulebook regarding vehicle assembly and body. The rules focus on certain parts for the Next Gen car that were supplied from a single source, and were therefore prohibited from being modified by teams upon getting them. Extreme cases like teams counterfeiting such parts could result in disqualification from playoff eligibility.

In the #6’s case, it was found to have violated clauses C and D of Section 14.and clauses A and D of 14.5. 14.5.d states that “external surfaces of body panels may be wrapped or wrapped with paint applied to the wrap. Any external wrap or coating must be removable. Textured paint or vinyl will not be permitted.”

As a result of the points penalty, one of the largest in NASCAR’s modern history, Keselowski took a massive drop in the points from sixteenth to thirty-fifth. A fourteenth and thirteenth at COTA and Richmond in the two races since the penalty have allowed to climb up the order somewhat to thirty-first, though he still has a ways to go if he wishes to make the playoffs. Even if he makes the postseason by winning a race and cracking the top thirty in the regular season standings, he would still be at a disadvantage as the penalty included docking ten playoff points.

“Although we are disappointed in the outcome of the appeal hearing, we are advocates of the process NASCAR has set forth and appreciate the opportunity to make our voice heard in the matter,” read a statement from the team. “With that in mind, we do not intend to pursue this further and our focus remains on our upcoming races, with Martinsville up first this weekend.”