It was a big call when NASCAR penalized Hendrick Motorsports for modifying the hood louvers at Phoenix Raceway. Unsurprisingly, the NASCAR Cup Series giants appealed against it. Just days back, the National Motorsports Appeal Panel rescinded the points penalty imposed and upheld the monetary fine of $400,000 on HMS. While many think that they got away easily, Dale Earnhardt Jr explains how the commercial impact works in this case.

Dale Jr is not only an experienced driver but also a motorsport team owner. Having sincerely been involved with his team JR Motorsports, the former HMS driver knows the other side of the story well. He recently gave an insight into how the $400,000 penalty plays a role in the overall dynamics.

Running a NASCAR team is no joke. It is a daunting task, especially considering the financials and risks involved. Cup Series legend Tony Stewart once revealed how much money is invested into a single car. Certainly, looking at that, it makes one wonder how teams manage to survive with a hefty penalty like HMS.

Speaking on the latest episode of his “The Dale Jr Download” podcast, Junior explains how a $400,000 fine can be devastating. He said, “They [Appeal Panel] still fined them [HMS] $100,000 per car which is a lot of money. We run this race team [JRM], we can’t afford 400 grand.”

He then explained how it can affect teams of smaller stature by saying, “That’s our plus or minus for the season. We are gonna make a couple hundred grand, maybe lose a couple hundred grand you just don’t know which it’s gonna be when the year starts and so if you’re racing that tight at a budget I imagine at the Cup level, there’s about same amount of wriggling.

“So you know whatever profit they might make in the season, that’s gonna eat right into it if not make it a loss for the year.” Clearly, if this is the case, no team would dare to attempt any modification. Perhaps, they would wish NASCAR to provide as much clarity as possible on their regulations.

Even Dale Jr would demand the same, especially when he felt HMS weren’t to blame in this case because of the governing body’s miscommunication.

The National Motorsports Appeal Panel’s decision showing leniency to Hendrick Motorsports did not make many happy. While plenty felt a bias, Dale Jr has come out supporting his former team, claiming it was NASCAR’s communication that was unclear.

He said, “At some point, HMS felt like NASCAR opened up the door for them to make these adjustments to the parts, To make the parts fit and make the parts get closer to the actual CAD design. Then NASCAR changed their communication, changed their wordage in their emails. Said, ‘Nope! We don’t want you doing this’.

What do you make of the appeal overturned? Let us know in the comments below.