"How is anyone going to learn if you don’t put the smackdown on them?" - Ryan Blaney agrees with penalties handed to RFK Racing by NASCAR

NASCAR officials issued a stiff penalty to Brad Keselowski's team, Roush Fenway Racing.

According to them, the team was found guilty of modifying a single source supplied part. The said offense was discovered ahead of the Atlanta race after the No. 6 car was forwarded to NASCAR’s Research and Development Center for inspection.

As a result of the infraction, RFK Racing, co-owned by Brad Keselowski, was handed an L2-level penalty, which falls under Section 14.1 and 14.5 of the Rule Book.

Following the penalty issued, Keselowski will lose 100 driver points and the team will lose 100 owner points. If Keselowski qualifies for the Cup Series Playoffs, 10 Playoff points will be withdrawn from the team.

The penalty will affect the team for the rest of the season. However, they have already filed for an appeal on the penalty. RFK posted a statement on Twitter.

Ryan Blaney is among the drivers who have addressed the issue of RFK being penalized. According to him, RFK racing deserved what they got.

While speaking in a post-qualifying race interview, Blaney was asked about his thoughts on the huge penalty against RFK. The young driver stated:

“Yeah, it was a big penalty. As far as my position goes, we talk about what we think they did and what we think they were doing. Me and Jonathan talked about it and we kind of understand that the penalties are pretty severe. NASCAR made that clear to us in the off-season.”

He went on to say:

“Honestly, I think that is the way they need to be. If you are doing something funky and wrong, how is anyone going to learn if you don’t put the smackdown on them? It is nothing against those guys at all. I think that is the way you should do it. I hate it for Brad Keselowski and all of them. It is a pretty severe penalty. Hopefully, we stay clear of that.”

Harsh NASCAR rules since the introduction of Next Gen cars in the 2022 season

NASCAR introduced the Next Gen car at the start of the season with the aim of leveling the playing field with equal cars. However, the new car came with new and strict rules which are more severe than expected.

Before kick-off this season, they announced a change in rules to curb cheating on the tracks. We have already seen minor penalties for cars that failed inspection twice, including a crew member being suspended for the following race.

On Twitter, Bob Pockrass highlighted that rules should be followed.

We also saw Kurt Busch handed a pass-through penalty after his car failed the inspection test three times.

However, RFK faces a far harsher penalty which will serve as an example to others. NASCAR has proven it won't tolerate anyone who tries to oppose their rules, especially when it comes to Next Gen cars.