Transcript: Kyle Petty Rips NASCAR’s Appeal Process

Former NASCAR driver and current SPEED analyst Kyle Petty shredded the NASCAR penalty process during Sunday’s edition of NASCAR RaceDay.

Here’s the transcript of his comments, which come ahead of Tuesday’s Hendrick Motorsports appeal of the No. 48 team penalties:

You want to talk about a crapshoot. This appeals process is a crapshoot.

There are 45 members on this board. If you go the NASCAR rule book, you’ll see these people’s names. Some of them may have passed away since their names were put in here. That’s how old these people are. These people shouldn’t be judging Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus and some of this stuff.

I challenge anybody out there to find me more than eight or 10 out of this 45 who have been to the racetrack in the last 12 to 24 months. These people don’t go to the racetrack, they don’t understand the process. They don’t understand sometimes where this sport is.

They’re great business people. They’re past drivers, champions, past sports car racers, past engine builders. Doesn’t make any difference. I think they should be judged by their peers. In this environment, in this environment we race in today, if you commit a crime or you do something, you should be judged by people who understand the sport and what is going on.

And I don’t think the appeals process is a good process, but at the same time, I don’t think the fine or what they’ve done to Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus is anywhere near legit. It’s total BS. They never should have fined them because the car never made it onto the racetrack.

How can (the appeals panel) override it (the penalty)? They don’t even understand the sport – look at the names on this list. The ‘Room of Doom,’ the way these templates fit and everything that goes on (inspection) - it’s a complicated process. I’m not even sure I could judge Chad on it because I don’t go down there and watch them put those templates on that car. I don’t know what the sport is sometimes and how it changes.

I think (Mike) Helton is a better judge of it. I think (John) Darby is a better judge of it. I think Robin (Pemberton) is a better judge of it because they’re right in there, but to take (the appeals hearing) out of this context and take it somewhere else, I don’t appreciate that. I don’t like it.