“If you cheat the same week as Hendrick does, you can get away with it”- Fans react as Final Appeals Officer rescinds Kaulig Racing’s Phoenix point penalty
Bill Mullis was Final Appeals Officer for Kaulig’s appeal review proceedings.
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Justin Haley's No 31 Kaulig Racing Chevy Camaro ZL1
The final appeals officer has rescinded the championship points penalty imposed on NASCAR cup team Kaulig Racing No:31 team and driver Justin Haley. The L-2 penalty was imposed on the team for an unsanctioned modification to the hood louvers. Kaulig won’t lose any Championship and playoff points, but a fine of $100K and a 4-race suspension given to the crew chief will remain unchanged.
The verdict came after NASCAR requested it as they claimed it would be unfair to uphold the penalty on them, considering Hendrick Motorsport had theirs dropped after the verdict of a three-membered independent appeal body. Kaulig, who filed the same appeal, got rejected by a different panel. The difference in the decision was pretty controversial and forced NASCAR even to make rule changes to limit appeal committee power.
“In the interest of fairness, NASCAR has requested that I remove the driver/owner race and playoff points from the penalty to Kaulig Racing. I have agreed to this request, per the Rule Book. During its opening remarks, NASCAR stated it believes that the violations did occur, the penalties were appropriate, and the three-person appeals panel ruled correctly,” Bill Mullis said.
“But, because the Kaulig infraction closely mirrored that of Hendrick Motorsports (modified louver at Phoenix Raceway), NASCAR requested I rule in the same manner as the three-person appeals panel following the Hendrick Motorsports appeal on March 29… In fairness to the team and sanctioning body, as NASCAR documented in its remarks, this request is fully in the interest of fairness and consistency, and I agree,” Mullis added.
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How fans reacted to the appeal verdict
Fans had a mixed reaction to the verdict, as many feel both Kaulig and HMs should hold accountable for their deeds. They don’t deem the current fine and suspension severe enough. Some fans were palsied with the decision as it was the right thing to happen considering the HMS verdict. There were also some fans pointing figures at the body for supposed biased decisions against Ford last year.
NASCAR releases statement on the verdict
The sanctioning body has given its opinion on why it chose to make a request in favor of the Chevy team. They claim it was the right thing to do after the HMS verdict as it’s important to be fair In a competition. The statement also pointed out that NASCAR is hopeful that such incidents will be avoided in the future with the rule change.
“NASCAR believes that Kaulig Racing committed the violations documented in the penalty notice, that the penalties were appropriate and that the three-person appeals panel ruled correctly when hearing the Kaulig appeal on April 5. However, in the interest of treating all competitors fairly, NASCAR today requested that the Final Appeals Officer remove the race and playoff points from the penalty,”.
“NASCAR believes that the updates made to the Rule Book will address similar issues in the future and keep its promise to the owners for strict penalties when single-source parts are modified. We are pleased with the swift resolution to today‘s appeal, appreciate Bill Mullis‘ ruling, and now look forward to this weekend‘s events at Talladega Superspeedway,”.
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Justin P Joy
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