NASCAR: Labbe's fine, team penalty reduced on appeal

NASCAR has announced that the fines and penalties affecting the No. 33 Chevy entered by Joe Falk Racing – an affiliate of Richard Childress Racing – and its crew chief have been reduced on appeal.

A three-member panel reduced the P4-grade penalties for Circle Sport Racing to P2, following a hearing at the NASCAR Research & Development Center. NASCAR had assessed a three-race suspension and a $50,000 fine for crew chief Richard "Slugger" Labbe, and placed him on probation through the end of the year. The appeal panel ruled that the suspension would stand, but reduced the fine to $20,000. The panel also reduced the 25-point penalty to a 10-point deduction for Falk in the Sprint Cup Series car owner standings.

The infraction related to improper mounting and assembly of the car's truck trailing arm. The suspension piece was made of aluminum instead of the required magnetic steel and was not bolted on correctly, according to the sanctioning body. However, the panel ruled that the truck trailing arm's mounting bracket adapter was found to be in violation only in that it was made of aluminum rather than the specified magnetic steel flat plate. The panel also ruled that "the other infractions are subject to interpretation," resulting in the reduced severity. "The process was very fair," Falk said in a statement. "We agree the part should have been presented (beforehand) to the R&D Center. We're satisfied with the outcome and we won't appeal further."

RCR has its own appeal hearing on Thursday, challenging the P5 penalty it was assessed following the Fontana race, after NASCAR determined that its No. 31 car driven by Ryan Newman ran with illegally altered tire air pressures.