Ryan Preece and the No. 60 RFK Racing team were hopeful that they could restore the 25 championship points and a $50,000 fine he was assessed by providing enough evidence to prove that Preece did not intend to crash Ty Gibbs on Lap 111 of the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on May 3. Unfortunately, the driver and team did not present enough of a case to erase the penalties handed to Preece by the sanctioning body.
On Wednesday, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel concluded that Preece violated the rules set forth in the penalty notice issued by NASCAR, and that the panel had affirmed and upheld the original penalty assessed by NASCAR.
The panel provided an explanation for its ruling: “Although not a unanimous decision, NASCAR and RFK Racing presented competing interpretations of common data. Neither side clearly proved their point, but Mr. Preece’s comments showed that he chose to not cut his competitor any breaks.”
As a result, Preece’s penalties will remain set at a 25 championship driver points deduction and $50,000 fine.
Video replays of the incident from Preece’s onboard camera at Texas Motor Speedway can be seen here:
“I’m Done With Him”: Ryan Preece’s Radio Rant Boils Over Into Ty Gibbs Wreck at Texas
The National Motorsports Appeals Panel that heard the argument from Preece and his team included Mr. Tom DeLoach, Mr. Dixon Johnston, and Mr. Lake Speed.
Preece and the No. 60 RFK Racing team do have the option to take their appeal to the Final Appeals Officer, but have not indicated an intention to do so at the time of this story being published.
