Front Row Motorsports announced Wednesday that it is appealing the L2-penalty levied against the No. 34 team by NASCAR on Tuesday.
The penalty includes the suspension of crew chief Blake Harris for four races, the loss off 100 points, 10 playoff points and a $100,000 fine.
Michael McDowell’s No. 34 car was randomly selected by NASCAR after Sunday’s race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway to be taken back to the NASCAR R&D Center for further inspection.
The No. 34 team was punished for violating Sections 14.1 C, D and Q as well as Sections 14.5 A and B in the NASCAR Rule Book. Those rules apply to the body and overall vehicle assembly rules surrounding modification of a single source supplied part.
“Front Row Motorsports continues to assess the penalties levied against the No. 34 NASCAR Cup Series team and the circumstances leading to the issues with the team’s car after the event in Pocono this past weekend,” the team said in a statement. “FRM has initiated the appeal process with NASCAR and will have no further comment until after the process has reached a conclusion.”
The penalty against the No. 34 team comes amid McDowell’s best statistical season to date in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Through 21 races, McDowell has a career-best eight top-10 finishes, including a sixth-place finish Sunday at Pocono Raceway.
That sixth-place finish was a result of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch having their first and second-place finishes disqualified for their cars failing post-race inspection.
Joe Gibbs Racing announced Monday it would not appeal its penalties.