Team Penske’s final appeal denied by NASCAR, Brad Keselowski’s crew chief suspended

Brad Keselowski’s crew chief Paul Wolfe will miss Saturday night’s Monster Energy Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway after Team Penske’s final appeal was denied Tuesday.

NASCAR had suspended Wolfe three races, fined him $65,000, docked Keselowski 35 driver points, and Roger Penske 35 owner points after Keselowski’s No. 2 failed post-race technical inspection March 19 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Team Penske appealed the penalties, but lost its initial appeal before a three-member board on April 12. On Tuesday, before NASCAR final appeals officer Roger Werner, Penske’s appeal was again denied. The decision is considered final.

Wolfe already missed races at Auto Club Speedway (March 27) and Talladega Superspeedway (May 7). He is eligible to return to the track beginning with the May All-Star Race. Penske Xfinity Series crew chief Brian Wilson has filled in during Wolfe’s suspension and will do so again at Kansas.

The penalties against Keselowski’s team stem from the rear suspension skew on the No. 2 car exceeding the tolerances set forth in the NASCAR rulebook. Keselowski, a two-time race winner this season, had finished fifth at Phoenix.

Penske appealed the penalty arguing Keselowski’s Ford was not allowed to go through inspection a second time, something other teams were permitted to do. During the first appeal hearing, NASCAR officials had to prove why the penalty was just. In the final appeal, the burden of proof fell on Penske to demonstrate why NASCAR erred in issuing the penalty.

“We are disappointed in the outcome of today’s final appeal hearing,” Penske said in a statement. “While we appreciate the process that NASCAR and the National Motorsports Appeals Panel has put in place to resolve issues like this, we felt like the penalties received following the March event at Phoenix were unjust.”