Roush Fenway Racing to appeal #99 penalty
NASCAR advised Roush Fenway Racing today that it will issue penalties against Carl Edwards (25 driver points), Jack Roush (25 owner points) and crew chief Bob Osborne ($25,000) for violating a rear fender height rule following Sunday's race at Dover International Speedway. Roush Fenway Racing president, Geoff Smith gave a statement following NASCAR's announcement: "We have the misfortune of violating a rule which makes no sense. It was promulgated to address restrictor plate races, not downforce races. I say misfortune because we are being penalized for a violation that actually impaired the car's performance. We intend to appeal the unfair assessment of the point's penalty. What is unfair is that Carl is receiving a penalty that is 250% greater in its effect than a similarly assessed penalty against a non-'Chase' driver. 'Chase' drivers are competing for a total of 1,950 points. All drivers competed for 5,070 points in the first 26 races. Do the math. The net effect is that a 25 point penalty falls unfairly hard on a 'Chase' contender. That's simply not right. To equalize the penalty impact on all competitors not more than 10 points should have been taken from a 'Chase' contender." Roush Fenway Racing PR