William Byron punted Denny Hamlin under caution during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. The TV broadcast reporter asked the Hendrick Motorsports driver his intention, to which he flat out admitted to doing it on purpose. Byron was fined and docked points because there was no question on if he did it on purpose. Hendrick Motorsports appealed that penalty, and the National Appeals Board overturned it, instead increasing the monetary fine. The end result was Byron advancing to the playoff Round of 8 while Kyle Larson, the defending series champion, was eliminated from the playoffs by two points.
After the run Larson had this past weekend, Hendrick Motorsports just might be looking into appealing their appeal.
The victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway would have locked Larson into the Championship 4 and given him a shot at being the first repeat champion since Jimmie Johnson won five in a row from 2006-2010. Meanwhile, Byron is currently sitting in the fourth spot in the Round of 8 just five points ahead of Hamlin, who is notoriously good at Martinsville Speedway. HMS might be better served asking for the appeals board to reconsider their decision.
Never, in the history of NASCAR, has someone been granted an appeal of a penalty handed down by the governing body and so quickly regretted the decision. While the regret is real, the reality is that HMS has made their bed, and they have to live with it.
Unintended consequences have run rampant in the Cup Series this season. For example, let’s start with the Daytona 500. Justin Haley loses a wheel, and the series is forced to enforce a regulation that was designed as a deterrent to teams who were skirting the rules by only tightening three of five lug nuts to exit pit road in a shorter period of time. This year, the single lug nut has resulted in more loose wheels. Thoughts and prayers to everyone who has paid a price for a minor mistake and a poor design.
Don’t forget Cole Custer slowing down for a supposed flat tire on the last lap of the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. NASCAR pinched him hard for attempting to influence the outcome of a race. Every lap that everyone turns during the season is attempting to influence the outcome of a given race. At Bristol Motor Speedway in 2021, Chase Elliott got on his radio and asked where Larson was, wanting to help him. Apparently, that was a different scenario because his crew chief or owner didn’t suggest it.
The next two weekends are…
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