Team Penske's appeal of a rules violation and subsequent penalties against driver Brad Keselowski, crew chief Paul Wolfe and the No. 2 team will be heard April 12 by three members of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel, according to a NASCAR official.
The No. 2 team failed post-race inspection following last month's Camping World 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Wolfe was fined $65,000 and suspended for three races. Keselowski was assessed with the loss of 35 driver points and Penske lost 35 car owner points.
The organization, which fields entries in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for Keselowski and teammate Joey Logano, delayed its request for an appeal until it had the opportunity to inspect the Phoenix entry at its Mooresville, North Carolina, headquarters. Wolfe was replaced by interim crew chief Brian Wilson at Auto Club Speedway for the Auto Club 400 the following week, where Keselowski finished second.
It subsequently filed notice of an appeal and requested the penalties be deferred until the results of the appeal were determined. That deferral was granted, and Wolfe returned to the pit box for last week's STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway, where Keselowski scored his second win of the season.
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The team was penalized under Sections 20.17.3.2.1 of the NASCAR rule book for failing post-race rear steer on the Laser Inspection Station (LIS). The L1 level penalty calls for the finish to be encumbered, meaning any bonus points earned would not be eligible toward use in the playoffs. Keselowski finished fifth in the Phoenix race last month.
Team owner Roger Penske addressed the decision to file an appeal following Keselowski's Martinsville victory.
"Look, I need him on that box every weekend," Penske said of Wolfe. "I told him I'd pay him to be on that box every weekend not to be sitting in his motor home looking at a bunch of monitors.
"But … really the strategy was that we'd take a race off last week (at ACS) and then make the appeal and I guess we'll be coming back here (to Martinsville) so it was good to get the experience here on this track, obviously, because it'll be in the (playoffs)."