Reiser, Francis hit with four-race suspensions (cont'd)

Roush said he hadn't closed the book on a possible appeal.

"I have asked [Roush Racing president] Geoff Smith to evaluate whether the penalties assessed are unduly harsh for the circumstances before making a final decision as to whether or not we will appeal the severity of the penalty imposed," Roush said. "I feel certain, however, that there was no intention on Robbie's part to sidestep any NASCAR rule or policy in this regard.

"NASCAR officials have a tremendous responsibility and a most difficult task, charged with making and enforcing the many rules and regulations which make possible the sport around which we build our lives.

"We at Roush Racing are determined to abide by all of NASCAR's mandates and are committed to make our best effort to avoid future embarrassments which are within our control."

Smith, an attorney, indirectly cited Knaus' 2006 infraction when he began making his case.

"The extreme harshness of the penalty surprises me given NASCAR's recent history of imposing lesser penalties on habitual offenders engaged in radically more flagrant rule offenses," Smith said. "For that reason, I am likely to recommend that we appeal the penalty assessment, although I have some more study to do before I officially make that recommendation."

Evernham also said in a statement he would analyze the situation before making a decision on whether to appeal.

"We regret that this situation has occurred, and apologize to our partners, team members, fans and NASCAR," Evernham said. "Once we conduct a thorough review of NASCAR's findings we will determine the proper course of action to take. We did not intend to infringe on the rules and will research this matter to ensure it does not occur again.

"We will make the necessary personnel adjustments during the period our teams are affected by [Tuesday's] ruling. I'm confident the Evernham Motorsports depth of leadership and team structure of team director, car director and engineer working in unison will be an asset in our race preparations over the coming weeks.

"We remain confident in the outlook for Evernham Motorsports this season and our ability to win races and compete for the championship."