‘Conflict of Interest Is Nothing New’: NASCAR Fans React as Kevin Harvick Reveals How Ex-F1 Supremo Cost Him a Shot at an Overturned Penalty
Kevin Harvick recently leveled a critique at his former team owner Gene Haas and Fibreworks, referencing his penalty from 2022 following Chase Briscoe’s penalty reversal by the NASCAR panel. Harvick pointed out that while the governing body overturned a $100,000 fine and a four-race suspension for JGR’s #19 crew chief due to the alleged use of an illegally modified spoiler, a similar grievance in 2022 at Talladega with him saw no such reprieve. That’s because, at that time, Gene Haas opted against filing an appeal.
Harvick further stated that Gene Haas, alongside Fibreworks — a company under the stewardship of Haas’ F1 associate, Guenther Steiner — was behind the decision not to challenge the NASCAR ruling concerning the modification of a single source-supplied part. This resulted in a four-race suspension for Harvick’s then-crew chief, Rodney Childers, and a $100,000 fine for the team.
Harvick further contended that Haas was persuaded by Fibreworks, the producer of the disputed parts, to avoid the appeals process. The unchallenged penalty stripped Harvick of 100 points, impairing his performance in the playoffs and culminating in a P15 place finish — his lowest since falling out of the top ten in 2009.
The 2014 NASCAR Cup Champion further disclosed that when a parallel situation arose with Chase Briscoe in 2023, where his SHR car was implicated in using counterfeit parts, the team again refrained from appealing the sanctions imposed by NASCAR. These included the deduction of 120 points from both the driver and the owner, along with the penalty of 25 Playoff points.
Kevin Harvick says SHR didn’t appeal his 2022 Talladega penalty because team owner Gene Haas was talked out of it by Guenther Steiner (Haas F1 Team Principal) who owned the part supplier, Fibreworks pic.twitter.com/KjmTayQtTT
— BrakeHard (@BrakeHardBlog) March 12, 2025
Also, Briscoe’s crew chief, Johnny Klausmeier, faced a suspension for six Cup Series races, and SHR was slapped with a $250,000 fine.
NASCAR identified that the discrepancies involved the engine panel and counterfeit NACA ducts. Despite Fibreworks being the only provider of these components for all teams, it appears that they adopted a double standard. Tactics were employed against Harvick and Briscoe during their tenure with SHR, while JGR was permitted to appeal under similar circumstances.
Fans responding to Harvick’s revelations expressed their concerns, with one noting, “A conflict of interest with parts suppliers is nothing new in NASCAR, but opting not to appeal a penalty for it is a new one.”
Another fan linked these issues to Tony Stewart’s decision to shutter Stewart-Haas Racing, exclaiming, “Wow, even more reasons for Tony to wanna nope the f**k out of there I know he and Gene didn’t see eye to eye on certain things but that is ridiculous.”
One spectator lamented the situation as a missed opportunity, saying, “Crazy a conflict of interest prevented this.” Another fan injected a lighter note, suggesting, “@TheRedFlags_Pod the boys will need to have Guenther address this.”
While such instances may seldom appear, it remains to be seen how future incidents will unfold when teams and part suppliers are faced with the decision to appeal or accept penalties.
About the author
-
Neha Dwivedi •
Chase Briscoe Reflects on NASCAR’s Latest Move, and How It’ll Let Drivers Make a Bigger Difference
-
Jerry Bonkowski •
‘Just the Way You’re Raised’: Kyle Busch a Big Fan of Jesse Love’s Maturity Before Big Cup Debut
-
Neha Dwivedi •
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is Sick of Joey Logano Defending the Playoff Format
-
Srijan Mandal •
“There’s Blame to Be Placed” – Denny Hamlin Makes Sense of “Loser” Kyle Larson’s Frustration Post Pocono
-
Srijan Mandal •
“Those Little Things That Eat at Me” – Ross Chastain Looks Back After Falling Down the NASCAR Pecking Order
-
Neha Dwivedi •
NASCAR Bowman Gray Prize Money: How Much Will the Winner of the Clash Make?