On Thursday, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel heard and considered an appeal of a behavioral penalty issued to William Byron and Hendrick Motorsports on September 27th, 2022, just days after the NASCAR Cup Series event at Texas.
Byron, one of 12 drivers still eligible to capture the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series championship, was originally fined $50,000 and docked 25 driver and owner points after the sanctioning body ruled that the Charlotte, North Carolina native had intentionally spun another competitor – Denny Hamlin – under caution.
Upon hearing the testimony, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel has agreed that Byron violated the rules that were laid out in NASCAR’s Penalty Report, a violation of Sections 4.3 NASCAR Member Conduct and 4.4 NASCAR Member Code of Conduct Penalty Options and Guidelines.
Despite being in agreement on the rules that Byron had violated, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel has elected to amend the penalty assessed by the sanctioning body, doubling the monetary fine from $50,000 to $100,000, while also removing any points implications.
As a result of the points deduction reversal, Byron jumps from 10th to seventh in NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings, entering the elimination race at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL 14 points above the cutline, which is now occupied by Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric.
