Joe Nemechek’s Busch Series win at Texas comes with a price. Crew chief Eric Phillips has been fined $5,000 and suspended for two races for an illegal left front spring found in post-race inspection. NEMCO Motorsports, Nememchek’s team, has been fined $25,000.(Fox Sports Totally NASCAR)(3-31-2003)
UPDATE: The National Stock Car Racing Commission heard and considered the appeal of NEMCO Motorsports.. The penalties stemmed from a NASCAR Busch Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on March 29, 2003. In post-race inspection, the #87 car was found to have an unapproved left front spring. Penalties assessed by NASCAR were a $25,000 fine to car owner Andrea Nemechek, and a $5,000 fine and two-race suspension for crew chief Eric Phillips. The appellants did not dispute the fact that the spring failed to conform to the rules, but appealed the severity of the penalties. In hearing the appeal, the Commission considered a number of points.
Mitigating factors justify a greater penalty for this infraction than those issued for the same types of spring infractions in the recent past, particularly with an apparent increase in spring violations in the NASCAR Busch Series during the last two seasons. The Commission feels strongly that NASCAR needs to assess penalties as it deems fit based on a multitude of factors, and balance each penalty to individual circumstances. Continuing instances of the same type of rules violations in a series warrant increased penalties in many cases. However, in reviewing this specific case, the Commission decided that the amounts of the assessed penalties, when compared to other recent penalties issued for spring violations in the NASCAR Busch Series, represented a sizeable increase. It is therefore the unanimous decision of the National Stock Car Racing Commission to reduce the original penalty issued by NASCAR to a $12,500 fine for the car owner and a $2,500 fine and two-race suspension for the crew chief. The Appellant has the right under Section 15 of the Rule Book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Commissioner.(NASCAR PR)(4-15-2003)
