P5 penalty upheld against No. 31 team

In the original decision, NASCAR docked Ryan Newman 75 points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver standings and assessed the same 75-point deduction to team namesake Richard Childress in the car owner standings. Both of those penalties were reduced to 50-point penalties by the three-member panel, which moves Newman up from 24th to 20th in the Sprint Cup driver standings.

The panel also reduced the $125,000 fine assessed to No. 31 crew chief Luke Lambert to $75,000, but kept his suspension for six points-paying Sprint Cup races intact. RCR tire technician James Bender and team engineer Philip Surgen also drew six-race bans, which were unaltered by the panel. All three remain on probation through Dec. 31.

The panel stated in its decision that it adjusted the points and monetary penalties “because there is no written explanation of what constitutes a post-race inspection.” In RCR’s situation, the tires in question were taken during the event for an off-track audit and not during a traditional post-race technical inspection.

Lambert made a statement after the ruling was announced, taking no questions but saying the team would weigh its options. Richard Childress Racing has the recourse of making a final appeal for further reduction or removal of the penalties to National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer Bryan Moss. The team must make that decision within 10 days.

“I’d like to say I’m thankful today to have had the opportunity to present our facts to the appeals panel,” Lambert said, “and I appreciate their consideration of those facts in making the decision to reduce the fine and reduce the points penalty based on the decision and the facts that were presented. However, I am disappointed in the decision not to completely overturn the penalty based on the facts that were presented today.

“At this point in time, we’re going to consider our options and discuss as a group what we’re going to do moving forward.”

The rotating three-member panel for Thursday’s hearing was composed of John Capels, former president and chairman of the board for the U.S. Auto Club; Hunter Nickell, former president of the SPEED Channel; and Dale Pinilis, longtime operator of historic Bowman Gray Stadium, a weekly NASCAR track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

NASCAR said it discovered an infraction after an audit of tires taken from the March 22 race at Auto Club Speedway. The revelation came amid growing buzz in the Sprint Cup garage that some teams were modifying and illegally “bleeding” tires to achieve more consistent air pressures, thereby potentially improving balance, grip and durability.

Because the violations involved one of the so-called Big Three of off-limits areas — engines, fuel and tires — NASCAR’s punishment was among the most severe categories possible in its deterrence system, which was unveiled before the 2014 season.

Last week before the hearing, Childress said that his organization was “confident we have a very compelling case to present to the appeals panel. We strongly believe in the intent of the rules and the integrity of our own teams while following those same rules.” That stance echoed that of RCR president Torrey Galida, who said after the penalties were announced that his company “has been one of the most outspoken opponents against ‘tire bleeding’ since the rumors began to surface last season.”

The team’s case, if not compelling, certainly appeared comprehensive as Childress & Co. arrived at the R&D Center just before its scheduled 8:30 a.m. ET start time. Lambert carried in large poster boards as part of his exhibit, and crewmembers wheeled at least two Goodyear tires into the building while other team personnel carried in thick folders of paperwork.

The original infraction concerned three areas in the 2015 NASCAR Rule Book — two in Section 20.16 regarding the illegal modification of wheels and tires, and the catch-all Section 12.1 for “actions detrimental to stock car racing.” NASCAR officials did not conduct tire audits after last weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, but did so for the previous three events, in some instances sending those tires to an outside agency for further evaluation.

Thursday’s decision comes two days after the three-member panel reduced penalties assessed to Circle Sport Racing, a Childress-affiliated team, from the more serious P4 level to P2-grade infractions for using an unapproved truck trailing arm during the same Auto Club race weekend.

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