Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus will face a day of reckoning of sorts this coming Tuesday. The Hendrick Motorsports driver and crew chief, along with car chief Ron Malec will appear for NASCAR’s appeal broad in an attempt to have the recent fines , suspensions and other sanctions lifted or eased.
During opening day inspection at Daytona, the No. 48 Chevy was found to have the ‘A’ posts out of specification. The team removed and reinstalled the areas and the car passed inspection.
Knaus and Malec were suspended from six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship events, suspended from NASCAR until April 18 and placed on NASCAR probation until May 9. Knaus was fined $100,000. Johnson and Jeff Gordon, who is listed as the car owner, were penalized with the loss of 25 driver and 25 owner points respectively.
Hendrick Motorsports said they would appeal the punishments soon after they were announced. That appeal will be heard Tuesday before the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel. That panel consists of at least three members chosen from a group of 45 who are appointed for the year. The team will make its case and the board will rule within a few days. It’s a process that is almost as old as NASCAR and one that doesn’t sit very well with some; including former driver and SPEED analyst Kyle Petty. MORE>>>
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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