Richard Childress Racing loses appeal of Jesse Love win disqualification

Richard Childress Racing has officially lost its appeal of Jesse Love’s Rockingham disqualification. The National Motorsports Appeals Panel (NMPA) agreed with NASCAR’s decision following last Saturday’s race. Initially, Love thought he had won the first Xfinity race at Rockingham in 21 years by snatching the lead away in an overtime restart. He drove from third to first in his first win at a non-drafting track, but the celebrations did not last very long.

The car failed post-race inspection a few hours later with JR Motorsports and driver Sammy Smith inheriting the race victory from Love. According to NASCAR, there was an issue with the rear suspension of Love’s No. 2 Chevrolet, stating: “All mating surfaces between the truck trailing arm and the U-bolt saddle must be in complete contact with each other.”

Explaining the decision

Explaining their reasoning, the three-person appeals penalty said: “The panel finds that it is more likely than not that there was a violation of 14.14.2 Rear Suspension, I-5.H. The panel was unable to determine whether the violation was intentional or unintentional. The panel finds that the mating surfaces between the truck trailing arm and the U-bolt saddle were not in contact with each other.”

The unanimous decision was made by Langley Speedway owner Mr. Bill Mullis, Raycom Sports television producer Mr. Hunter Nickell, and experienced track promoter Mr. Steve York.

Per the appeals process, RCR now has the opportunity to appeal further and take their case to the Final Appeals Officer where the burden of proof shifts from the sanctioning body to the team/driver under penalty. However, they have not yet said whether they will take this route or not.