A few weeks ago, NASCAR imposed significant penalties on Stewart-Haas Racing. The punishment followed the detection of counterfeit parts in the #14 car of Chase Briscoe after the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The team faced a major fine and a deduction of 120 points from the owners’ and drivers’ standings. Unsurprisingly, the manner in which the penalties were awarded has upset former NASCAR driver and SHR co-owner Tony Stewart.
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To be fair to NASCAR, this was nothing new, considering how NASCAR has penalized teams this year. First, it was Hendrick Motorsports, then Kaulig Racing, then it was Tony Stewart’s Cup Series team.
Tony Stewart gives his verdict on recent NASCAR penalties
Recently, Stewart expressed his thoughts on NASCAR’s penalty distribution among teams. His remarks contained both praises for NASCAR’s efforts to ensure fair competition and frustration over perceived poor decision-making in certain instances.
Stewart told NBC Sports, “Honestly, I’m supportive of the amount of fines. I think if you want to get it under control, you’ve got to keep bumping it up to where it’s risk vs. reward. What are you willing to risk to get in the gray areas? I support NASCAR on that side. I feel like they’ve done a good job of trying to discourage teams from going above and beyond.”
“But the mindset on some of these aspects are absolutely ludicrous. Some of these penalties have been justified and some of them, I feel like, have been extremely in poor judgment. But it’s not our series. We’re not the sanctioning body. They have to run the series the way they feel like it needs to be run.”
Hamlin lauded NASCAR for maintaining integrity post-SHR penalty
Even though Stewart claimed that NASCAR penalized some teams unfairly, Denny Hamlin from Joe Gibbs Racing had earlier applauded NASCAR’s decisions as a way to uphold the sport’s integrity. While speaking on his podcast, the NASCAR veteran stated, “NASCAR needs to continue doing this for sure because it helps. It really helps the integrity of our sport stay true to what it’s supposed to be.”
The imposition of stringent penalties is a strategy to prevent teams from crossing the line for a competitive edge. It’s also beneficial for NASCAR to consistently enforce these deterrents for its long-term stability. Stewart might not entirely concur, especially as his team bore the brunt of the penalties, but this is something that is the need of the hour.
