Some NASCAR penalties to Hendrick Motorsports teams rescinded in appeals panel ruling

Some Hendrick race teams just got a big boost in the points standings.

Wednesday, the National Motorsports Appeals panel ruled on the appeal of an L2 penalty for the unapproved adjustment of single-vendor parts assigned to Hendrick, upholding some of NASCAR’s initial rulings and rescinding others.

The panel upheld the $100,000 fines and four-race suspensions to all four Cup Series crew chiefs at Hendrick. That $400,000 fine to one team remains the largest combined fine to one organization in NASCAR history.

But the panel also rescinded the penalties of 100 driver points and 10 playoff points levied against Kyle Larson, William Byron and Alex Bowman. It also rescinded the 400-point deduction to Hendrick Motorsports in the owner’s standings.

The penalties in question arose after the race at Phoenix Raceway, where NASCAR found each of the four Hendrick Cup Series cars guilty of the “unapproved modification to a single-source vendor supplied part,” per NASCAR’s penalty sheet.

The penalty referred specifically to the modification of Hendrick cars’ hood louvers, the vents in the hood that help transfer air out of the radiator. Hendrick’s hood louvers were seized the Friday before the Cup race, taken back to NASCAR’s R&D center in Concord and subsequently deemed illegal.

“We are pleased that the National Motorsports Appeals Panel agreed that Hendrick Motorsports violated the rule book,” a statement from NASCAR said. “However, we are disappointed that the entirety of the penalty was not upheld. A points penalty is a strong deterrent that is necessary to govern the garage following rule book violations, and we believe that it was an important part of the penalty in this case and moving forward.

“We will continue to inspect and officiate the NASCAR garage at the highest level of scrutiny to ensure a fair and level playing field for our fans and the entire garage.”

Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick also released a statement after the appeals panel ruling.

“We are grateful to the National Motorsports Appeals Panel for their time and attention,” Hendrick said in a statement. “Today’s outcome reflects the facts, and we’re pleased the panel did the right thing by overturning the points penalty. It validated our concerns regarding unclear communication and other issues we raised. We look forward to focusing on the rest of our season, beginning with this weekend’s race at Richmond (Raceway).”

This decision shakes up the standings early in the Cup Series season, but the Hendrick cars were likely making the playoffs anyway.

William Byron has already notched two wins. Alex Bowman sat 16th in the points standings after a remarkably consistent start to 2023 prior to the points shake-up (and he’s now the points leader).

Kyle Larson has had a good enough showing in the early going to suggest he could win multiple races in 2023. And the No. 9 team remains hopeful it can have a playoff car once Chase Elliott recovers and returns from his broken leg.

Updated Top-16 NASCAR Cup Series driver standings

Note: The NASCAR Cup Series playoff field is 16 drivers. The Round of 16 begins in September.

An asterisk indicates the driver has won a race. Bold means that they are Hendrick cars.