“Its either corrupt or...”: NASCAR fans reveal utter shock between the difference in Hendrick and Kaulig’s penalties

Prior to the United Rentals Work United 500 at Phoenix Raceway on March 12, Hendrick and Kaulig both appealed NASCAR penalties imposed against them for prohibited part alterations.

The crew chiefs of both teams were suspended for four races and each received a $100,000 penalty. Each driver and owner received a deduction of 100 points and 10 playoff points.

But while Kaulig's experience was different from Hendrick's, the point deductions were entirely eliminated by Hendrick's appeal. Upon appeal, just 25 owner and driver points were taken off. Even yet, it dropped all 10 playoff points.

All four Hendrick teams and one Kaulig team proved to be in breach of the rules before the race on March 12. An identical description of the infringement was used everywhere: unauthorized components changes resulting from the usage of hood louvers.

The sole distinction made public by NASCAR was that Kaulig's hood louvers were found during a pre-qualifying inspection on March 11 whereas the Hendrick louvers were found prior to practice at Phoenix on March 10. The louvers were seized in both instances for additional investigation. In the race on March 12, all teams changed their louvers, while the drivers competed in stock versions.

A $100,000 fine, four-race crew chief bans, a loss of 100 owner and driver points, and 10 owner and driver playoff points were all on the table for each individual team.

Driver Justin Haley of Kaulig Racing did not benefit similarly. The members of the panels for each appeal were the only thing that varied about the appeals procedure. For Hendrick, the rulings were made by Dixon Johnston, Bill Lester, and Kelly Housby; for Kaulig, the appeal was considered by Hunter Nickell, Shawna Robinson, and Steve York.

Fans of NASCAR racing are perplexed by the lack of transparency in the appeals process after Hendrick Motorsports was given a far better deal than Kaulig Racing despite the fact that both teams violated the rules in mid-March.

Several other teams and drivers criticized the appeal decision at the time as undermining an offseason point of focus that teams shouldn't change single-source supplier parts. And NASCAR came under fire for how it handled the Hendrick situation.

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In the NASCAR Cup Series, Hendrick Motorsports is the team to beat

Hendrick Motorsports received a significant boost last Wednesday when an appeals panel reinstated the driver, owner, and playoff points that NASCAR had taken from all four of its Cup teams.

On Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports went back to doing what it does best this season: crushing the competition on the track. Larson and Byron have now won three of the previous five races for Hendrick Motorsports, demonstrating that they are still the class of the field.

HMS drivers' impressive performance came at a circuit where the team has been hit-or-miss in recent seasons.