Team Penske loses final appeal, penalties upheld

In March, the No. 2 Team Penske Ford failed post-race LIS inspection at Phoenix Raceway. The resulting penalty was severe with the loss of 35 driver and owner points, a $65,000 fine and a three-race suspension for Wolfe.

Wolfe has already sat out two of those three races (Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway and GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway). Engineer Brian Wilson has been filling the role of interim crew chief in his absence.

Roger Werner, chairman of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States (ACCUS), served as the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer for the hearing. The penalties were originally upheld in the initial appeal by the team, which was heard on April 12. 

“We are disappointed in the outcome of today’s final appeal hearing." a Team Penske statement read. "While we appreciate the process that NASCAR and the National Motorsports Appeals Panel has put in place to resolve issues like this, we felt like the penalties received following the March event at Phoenix were unjust.  Brian Wilson will once again serve as Brad Keselowski’s crew chief this weekend at Kansas Speedway.  We’re happy to finally have this behind us as the No. 2 team focuses its efforts on another Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship.”