NASCAR severely penalized Hendrick Motorsports Tuesday for problems with hood louvers discovered on all four Hendrick cars last weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
NASCAR imposed the following penalties:
- Docked Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson and William Byron 100 points and also penalized them 10 playoff points each.
- Suspended crew chiefs Cliff Daniels, Alan Gustafson, Rudy Fugle and Blake Harris each have four races. NASCAR was also fined $100,000 each.
- NASCAR penalized each of the four Hendrick teams 100 owner points and 10 playoff points.
Bowman, Byron and Larson were in the top five in points (Bowman was the points leader). They all fall out of the top 20 in the rankings after losing 100 points.
Hendrick Motorsports said in a statement: “We are disappointed in today’s decision by NASCAR to impose sanctions and have chosen to appeal based on various facts.”
Hendrick Motorsports also said it will not request a carryover of the crew chiefs’ suspensions, meaning all four crew chiefs will miss Sunday’s Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Replacement team leaders will be announced at a later date.
NASCAR did not penalize Josh Berry any points because he does not earn any points in the Cup Series. He’s earning points in the Xfinity Series. Chase Elliott is not penalized because he was not driving the No. 9 car when the infraction was discovered.
NASCAR confiscated the hood louvers (ventilation vents) of all four Hendrick cars after Friday practice at Phoenix Raceway. Series officials discovered a potential problem before practice, allowed Hendrick teams to conduct the session, then took the pieces afterward.
Hood louvers (hood vents) are single source parts.
“It was obvious to us that these parts had been modified in an area that was not approved,” said Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition. “It’s a penalty consistent with what we experienced last year. …We wanted to keep the garage on a level playing field and the level of competition where it should be, all the dialogue that took place around this car last year, working with the owners on this what the deterrent model should be, we were put in a position where we felt there was no other way than to write a penalty.
When asked if the changes could impact downforce, Sawyer said: “We don’t normally get into the intent, but I think it’s fair to say… that these changes could have performance.”
Although teams may have permission to make minor adjustments to certain parts from a single supplier, Sawyer said the area with the modified hood louvers on the Hendrick cars “was not approved.” We felt like the line of communication between NASCAR and the garage was properly established and they were obviously out of bounds. »
Hendrick vice president Jeff Gordon alluded to the communications aspect when discussing the issue of hood louvers after Sunday’s race at Phoenix.
“We have had conversations, and we will continue to have conversations, with NASCAR,” Gordon said Sunday night. “Every situation is kind of unique, but this one is more unique than I’ve seen in a long time where there’s been a lot of communication on this particular part, especially for this circuit, because they did a test of parity in the wind tunnel.
“I think that really opened the door to some miscommunication. I don’t want to go any further than that. We will continue to share all the facts and be transparent with NASCAR as we have been to this point.
Hendrick Motorsports said Tuesday that “unclear communication” was among the reasons for its appeal. Hendrick listed his reasoning for appealing on “a variety of facts” that include:
- “The louvers supplied to teams through the sole supplier mandated by NASCAR do not match the design submitted by the manufacturer and approved by NASCAR.
- “Documented inconsistent and unclear communication from the sanctioning body specifically related to shutters.
- “Recent comparable sanctions issued by NASCAR have been related to issues discovered during a post-race inspection.”
NASCAR also imposed these penalties on Justin Haley’s No. 31 Kaulig Racing team. NASCAR awarded Haley 100 points and 10 playoff points, suspended crew chief Trent Owens for four races and fined him $100,000 and penalized the team 100 car owner points and 10 points in the playoffs.
NASCAR increased penalties last year on single-source parts.
“The car was a collaborative project, designed to emphasize the on-track performance and unmatched capabilities of our teams, drivers and pit crews,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR chief operating officer, in January 2022. “There will be strong penalties for any teams that race against this design so fans can focus on our drivers and the anticipated big races in NASCAR.
