Avalanche of penalties in NASCAR

La NASCAR has therefore decided to penalize each of the four cars entered this season in the Cup Series by Hendrick Motorsports. And officials didn't go into detail, handing out some of the harshest penalties for unapproved parts modifications last weekend at Phoenix Raceway. Each crew chief was initially fined $100 and suspended for four races. Each car was also penalized 000 points in the regular season standings and 100 points for the Playoffs. The drivers receive the same sanction, with the exception of Chase Elliott absent in Phoenix following his injury and his replacement Josh Berry entered for the season in the Xfinity Series: Chase Elliott forfeits!

The cars' hood louvers, standard parts for each manufacturer, were seized before Sunday's race in Phoenix. Hendrick was cleared for use in free practice on Friday before they were sealed and sent to the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina, for further examination. The pilots were authorized to start with spare parts deemed to be compliant. The offending louvers are the openings located on either side of the front hood which serve as an extraction point for hot air coming from the radiator located behind the front bumper. This system implemented on the Next Gen is intended to prevent the flow of hot air coming from the radiators from being used to create downforce. The teams were found guilty of modifying a very specific part distributed by a single supplier. 

It is precisely this precise point that motivated Hendrick Motorsports' immediate decision to appeal. the training announced on its site that it would appeal all sanctions, basing its defense on the fact that the parts deemed illegal were not developed by it but supplied by an entity approved by NASCAR. A fight of experts is now looming.

A look at #NASCAROvertime for @dennyhamlin and @RossChastain. pic.twitter.com/P3TrT6Yl07

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 13, 2023

On a lighter note, Denny Hamlin was fined $50 and lost 00 points for intentionally hitting Ross Chastain at the end of the race. A new incident between the two best enemies on the set whose quarrels are really starting to tire. The saddest part of this story is that Hamlin bragged about this gesture in his post-race podcast and Chastain didn't even seem upset by the maneuver. The two men spoke after the race with the utmost courtesy. Let's remember that everyone lost nearly 25 places and as many points in the maneuver! It's high time to signal the end of recess.

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