Rick Hendrick’s $400,000 Loss Led Kyle Petty to Deliver Brutal Truth to NASCAR: “20 or 30 Million Is Spent”

In a sport where every tenth of the second is more crucial than every dollar spent, teams are certainly on the lookout for loopholes to get themselves ahead of the competition. But it is the organizing body’s obligation to level the playing field and ensure everyone and every team is abiding by its rule book. NASCAR did just that when Hendrick Motorsports was slammed with a $400,000 fine, the largest team fine in the sport’s history earlier in March this year along with a crucial points penalty.

The sanctioning body found modified hood parts on Rick Hendrick‘s cars, prompting them to take matters into their own hands, levying hefty penalties, and suspending its crew chiefs.

While the team has hit a rough patch with 2 of its potent drivers failing to make the playoffs including the 2020 Cup Series champion, Chase Elliott, the proud Chevy camp just had its 300th win in Texas. Despite getting hammered with the hefty penalty, they still are at the top of the game. Reflecting on this aspect, NASCAR veteran Kyle Petty exposed the harsh truth about the sport, something no other sport experiences.

Kyle Petty gets real about NASCAR’s massive penalty row against Rick Hendrick and HMS

Shortly after William Byron racked up his 6th win of the season at the Texas Motor Speedway, former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace dropped another fascinating episode of “The Kenny Conversation.” This time joining the veteran dirt fanatic was NBC pre-race analyst and 8-time Cup race winner, Kyle Petty.

The duo went on with the conversation, touching on multiple areas of the sport, including how NASCAR has changed over the years. Then the conversation took a detour when Wallace asked Petty, “Your whole opinion on the $400,000 penalties to Rick Hendrick and have the teams got the message now?”

Mentioning the uniqueness of NASCAR and how teams have always tried to take advantage of the rulebook, reading between the lines. Petty gave an elaborate answer.“As a racer, you never get the message you know because that’s not what you’re paid to do. You’re paid and racing unlike any other sport, nobody takes the NFL rulebook or Major League Baseball rulebook or Golf and they say maybe I could do this,” said the former driver. 

He then exposed the teams and the sport’s gray area, saying, “Everyone would take the NASCAR rulebook and say, how can I get in between these two rules you know, and that’s what you did and that’s what you did from 1949, the first time they ever run a Cup race until Rick was fined recently you know what I mean, that’s just what you do and we’re going to continue to see that whether it with hood louvers.”

The veteran did not stop there. He continued his take, further uncovering the harsh reality of the sport. “You’re going to see somebody trying something because that’s the nature of the sport. I think in a sport where and I’ll say this again, I think and I’ve said it before, in a sport where $20 or $30 million dollars are spent on a car, I’ll pay a $400,000 fine all day long,” said Petty. 

Consequently, after the penalty, HMS appealed to the National Motorsports Appeals Panel (NMAP) which overturned NASCAR’s decision, shaving off the critical points penalty, and keeping the monetary fine.

WATCH THIS STORY: Jimmie Johnson vs. Jeff Gordon: Hendrick Motorsports GOAT debate addressed by William Byron 

William Byron takes over the throne in Texas, bringing Mr. H another milestone

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HMS’ youngest driver’s cruise continues as he racks up his 6th win of the season. With the stellar win, Byron now has cemented his berth in the round of 8. The 2nd round playoff opener was indeed a treat for HMS fans as the #24 driver delivered the win, avenging his teammate, Kyle Larson with a late rally in the closing laps of the race.

With just 19 laps to go, Larson and his bitter rival Bubba Wallace were going side by side with neither driver backing up. Just like the soaring temperatures in Texas, tensions flared high as the two rivals went for the kill until Larson got wide, coming into the turn. This caused a brief contact between the HMS Chevy and 23XI Racing Toyota, causing Larson to lose control and slam into the wall.

The path was open for Wallace to seize the opportunity. However, Byron, who was following the action all along, decisively moved up the ranks to take the lead as Wallace and Chase Briscoe were engaged in a one-on-one. This allowed the 25-year-old to get his team their 300th cup win.

READ MORE: Kyle Petty Exposes Billionaire Rick Hendrick’s NASCAR Loophole Exploitation in Ballistic Rant