One 12 months on, Keselowski understands NASCAR’s penalty predicaments
As the primary driver hit with an L2 penalty for modifications made to a single-source equipped half on the Subsequent Gen automobile, Brad Keselowski understands the scenario NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports are on this week.
Keselowski, admittedly, will not be educated sufficient to talk to the precise difficulty with the Hendrick Motorsports louvers, not having seen those confiscated final weekend at Phoenix Raceway. NASCAR officers deemed they have been modified and hit the group with 100-point deductions, playoff level deductions and fines.
A 12 months in the past, Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford was underneath scrutiny after the spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. His automobile was one of many random vehicles taken by NASCAR post-race for additional analysis on the R&D Middle. It was discovered {that a} tail panel had been modified, which Keselowski later defined was a restore job that might have been higher, forcing NASCAR’s hand when it got here to issuing a penalty and exhibiting the items have been to not be touched.
“It was powerful,” Keselowski stated. “Speedy feelings are to be pissed off and offended, however I don’t really feel that manner at this time. The truth is, once I noticed NASCAR a few weeks in the past, we had a automobile get inspected after Daytona, I made a remark to them. Truthfully, I advised them, ‘Thanks. It’s probably the greatest issues to ever occur to us.’ We got here out of it higher. It was good for the trade.
“From our perspective, it modified our tradition inside the corporate to the place we had higher behaviors. I assumed it set a tone for the trade — once more, I can’t converse for Hendrick, however with our points.”
He was forthcoming with data after the method performed out with RFK Racing shedding its attraction. Not solely did Keselowski say he understood the penalty (and later within the 12 months stated NASCAR has been too lenient and may management the storage by issuing penalties like sweet), however he discovered the appeals course of to be truthful and completely different from what he anticipated. The co-owner continued to share those self same sentiments Saturday.
“I feel I made just a few feedback a month later in regards to the significance of penalties within the storage. They serve a function,” Keselowski stated. “I feel it’s very easy, and I’ve fallen sufferer to this as effectively – to take a look at NASCAR because the boogieman. In quite a lot of methods, they’re attempting to assist us and attempting to assist the game and guarantee that it may be wholesome. Whether or not or not NASCAR is correct or Hendrick is correct with their penalty, I don’t know to that particular scenario, however as a complete, I do perceive the inclination and the emotion behind the groups and possibly the followers getting fired up over a penalty.
“However in the long run, penalties are there for a purpose. They’re there to make this circus considerably manageable and sustainable, in order to what finally ends up occurring with Hendrick, I can’t converse to it once more, not understanding sufficient, however from my perspective and sort of having lived it, I’m most likely 180 from the place I used to be a 12 months in the past on it, and I perceive it at a excessive diploma.”
Hendrick Motorsports is arguing the elements are usually not being supplied to the groups to the specs they need to be. The group additionally stated there’s been quite a lot of dialogue between the groups, producers and NASCAR, however it adjustments weekly on whether or not the elements might be cleaned up in the event that they don’t match correctly.
Each a driver and proprietor, Keselowski acknowledges there are points with the elements. It comes down to making sure groups have cleared any work with NASCAR.
“Yeah, there’s at all times an element someplace that’s not what you need it to be, and there’s a portal that NASCAR has to submit these elements to, and there’s often some dialogue and communication round that,” Keselowski stated. “Typically talking, I really feel like NASCAR has been amenable to work via these and has gotten considerably higher over the past 12 months.
“We now have elements, right here and there, which are points, and NASCAR has come up and stated, ‘Hey, you are able to do this,’ or, ‘You’ll be able to’t do it.’ It’s actually kind of in regards to the communication with them.”
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