RFK Racing to appeal new NASCAR penalties applied to the team

NASCAR issued a penalty to Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing on Thursday, March 24th.

The team is facing an L2-level penalty in line with sections 14.1 and 14.5 of the organization’s Rule Book. The section clearly states the rules for modifying a single-source supplied part for the Next Gen car.

Following heavy penalties, Roush Fenway Racing, co-owned by No. 6 driver Brad Keselowski, felt the burden was too heavy for them to lift.

As a result, Roush Fenway Racing announced they were going to appeal the L2-level issued to them by the officials. RFK stated that:

“In connection to the penalties announced yesterday by NASCAR, we have filed a notice of appeal and look forward to the opportunity to work through the process.”

RFK Racing's statement elicited a mixed response from NASCAR fans. Some mocked the appeal's effectiveness, while others supported the squad. Others couldn't understand why they had appealed in the first place.

One fan stated that:

"the only positive I get from this whole situation is, at least we know you're trying to push the envelope to be more competitive"

They reached the decision of issuing the penalty after taking Brad Keselowski's vehicle back to their Research & Development Center, ahead of the Atlanta Race last weekend.

Since the launch of the Next Gen car, NASCAR has been very strict with part modifications. The Roush Fenway Racing team will serve as an example, since they are the first team to face such strict penalties since the start of the season.

Before kick-off of the 2022 season, they announced that this year's penalties were going to be tougher.

Roush Fenway Racing crew chief Matt McCall will be suspended from the next four NASCAR Cup Series points races

The L2-level penalty will see that Brad Keselowski loses 100 driver points and the team loses 100 owner points. The team will also lose the services of their crew Chief Matt McCall for the next four Cup Series points races.

With a loss of 100 points, Brad Keselowski now sits in the 35th position on the table standings until the appeal is evaluated. Initially, Brad Keselowski stood in 12th place.

On top of that, Matt McCall was slapped with a $100,000 fine. If Keselowski qualifies for the Cup Series Playoffs, he will be stripped of 10 Playoff points.

At the moment, Roush Fenway Racing’s hope depends on a three-member panel from the National Motorsports Appeals Panel. If the panel rules against them, RFK will have a very tough 2022 season.