“It validated our concerns”: Hendrick Motorsports ‘pleased’ after their points penalty was rescinded

The long-awaited result of Hendrick Motorsports' run-in with the NASCAR rulebook has finally come to an end. After receiving the biggest penalty handed to a single organization in the history of the sport, news broke this Wednesday about the subsequent amends to the organization's disciplinary action.

The National Motorsports Appeal Panel decided in the week leading up to the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway that points deductions handed to the four crews at Hendrick Motorsports will be restored. The $100,000 fine and crew chief suspensions for the #5, #9, #25 and #48 crews, however, still stay in place as received due to the L2-level penalties.

Found to have modified the hood louvers on each of their team's four cars, the L2 level enalties were levied on Rick Hendrick's team on March 12 at the Phoenix Raceway weekend. The hood louvers in question, which are supplier-sourced parts, cannot be modified to fit a racecar in any way, according to NASCAR. Rick Hendrick elaborated on the decision further in a press release:

“Today’s outcome reflects the facts, and we’re pleased the panel did the right thing by overturning the points penalty. It validated our concerns regarding unclear communication and other issues we raised. We look forward to focusing on the rest of our season, beginning with this weekend’s race at Richmond.”

Hendrick Motorsports will continue to field all four cars at Richmond Raceway in Virginia this weekend. Chase Elliott's #9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will likely see another weekend for a substitute driver behind the wheel.

NASCAR not totally onboard with Appeal Panel's ruling on Hendrick Motorsports' penalty

NASCAR officials did not seem to be completely onboard with the National Motorsports Appeal Panel's decision to rescind Hendrick Motorsports' points penalty. In a statement released after the decision-making process was complete, the governing body said:

“We are pleased that the National Motorsports Appeals Panel agreed that Hendrick Motorsports violated the rule book. However, we are disappointed that the entirety of the penalty was not upheld. A points penalty is a strong deterrent that is necessary to govern the garage following rulebook violations, and we believe that it was an important part of the penalty in this case and moving forward."

While William Byron, Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson's initial points before the reductions have been reinstated, all respective crew chiefs will be seen in action no sooner than the Martinsville Speedway weekend.