many reports on Twitter say the penalties against Penske Racing have been upheld by appeals panel. Penske will appeal to highest level, Chief Appellate Officer. John Middlebrook. Penske crew members will be able to work at Talladega pending approval of Middlebrook.(5-1-2013) AND: The National Car Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel upheld the penalties Wednesday to the Penske Racing teams of #2-Brad Keselowski and #22-Joey Logano. Team owner Roger Penske said he would appeal the ruling to National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook. ‘I cant make any comments, its clear we have a process and Im better off to wait to see that conclude’ Penske said. ‘All I can say about the process is its fair and equitable. We had an opportunity to explain our case in detail. We will move onto the next step.” The appeals panel of Pocono Raceway president Brandon Igdalsky, former NASCAR senior vice president Paul Brooks and Bowman-Gray Stadium operator Dale Pinilis took about five hours to hear arguments from both sides and deliberate on the decision. The three-person panel was chosen from a list of 49 eligible members. ‘We take our inspection process very seriously’ NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said. ‘We believe we do a strong and credible job with it. The level playing field in the garage we believe is the best its ever been. As the sanctioning body, we have to uphold the rules and regulations in the rulebook. The inspection process we believe in very strongly.” Sprint Cup director John Darby presented NASCARs side. Team owner Roger Penske attended the hearing with chief lieutenants Walt Czarnecki (vice president of Penske Corp.) and Tim Cindric (Penske Racing president). Team manager Travis Geisler and crew chiefs Paul Wolfe (Keselowski) and Todd Gordon (Logano) also were present.( USA Today )(5-1-2013) NASCAR Statement: On May 1, 2013, the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel heard and considered the appeal of the #2 and #22 Penske Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams. The penalties stemmed from a pre-race inspection at Texas Motor Speedway April 13. See full rundown of the peanlties, fines and suspensions on my 2013 NASCAR Penalties page . The Appellants appealed all penalties listed. The Appellants also requested and were granted a deferral of the suspensions until such time as the hearing could be convened. Upon hearing the testimony and carefully reviewing the facts, it was a unanimous decision by the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel to uphold the original penalties assessed by NASCAR. The Appellants have the right under Section 15 of the rule book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer. The National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel overseeing the appeal: Brandon Igdalsky, Paul Brooks, Dale Pinilis and Shawn Rogers Appellate Administrator and non-voting member.(NASCAR)(5-1-2013) Final Appeal Date: Team owner Roger Penske will utilize the final step in the appeal process, in which NASCAR chief appellate officer John Middlebrook will hear from both sides. The hearing will take place next Tuesday [May 7] at 10 a.m. ET, meaning all of the suspended crew members will be at Talladega this weekend. ‘Obviously, were disappointed with the outcome’ Penske said. ‘We met with the panel for over four or five hours. It was a good process. I feel we have a good case, and as we are allowed to under the NASCAR rules we will appeal to the next level. I cant make any [further] comment. Its clear we have a process. Thats why Im better off to wait and see that conclude, and at that point I can make any other personal comments.”( ESPN )
