NASCAR Cup Series
Erik Jones, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Assessed L1 Penalty Post-Gateway
Jun 7, 2023
On Wednesday, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel (NMAP) heard and considered the appeal of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, for a penalty that was assessed to Erik Jones and the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro team following Gateway.
The organization was penalized for violating Section 14.1.C&D 'Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules' and Section 14.1.2.B 'Engineering Change Log' of the NASCAR Cup Series Rule Book, a violation that resulted in an L1-level infraction.
Erik Jones, the driver of the No. 43 Chevrolet, was docked 60 driver and owner points, and five NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Points, as a result of the infraction. Dave Elenz, the entry's crew chief, was suspended for two points-paying events, and fined $75,000.
The three-person panel, which for this hearing included Mr. Chuk Deery, Mr. Dixon Johnson, and Ms. Cathy Rice, elected to uphold all penalties given to the organization by NASCAR, as they determined that the cited rule(s) were indeed broken.
Upon making this decision, the panel then elected to provide the following statement detailing their decision: “The penalty was consistent with previously assessed penalties for similar situations. The rule book is clear that teams are not allowed to modify single-source parts, and therefore the penalty was upheld.”
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB now has the right to request another hearing with a Final Appeals Officer (FAO), which if requested, would serve as the final decision in the matter of this penalty assessed on June 7th. The organization has yet to indicate whether or not they will request a final hearing.
Image Credit - Harold Hinson, HHP, Courtesy of Chevrolet Racing
