Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Circle Sport owner Joe Falk plans to appeal NASCAR penalties

circle sport logo

Circle Sport Racing team owner Joe Falk said he plans to appeal the P4 penalty and accompanying fines NASCAR issued to his team on March 25 on the No. 33 Sprint Cup team.

The team was penalized for an illegal rear truck trailing arm and assembly kit that NASCAR ruled was mounted improperly.

Crew chief Richard “Slugger” Labbe was suspended for three races, fined $50,000 and placed on probation through the rest of the year. Falk was also docked 25 championship car owner points.

The infraction was discovered during pre-race inspection at Auto Club Speedway

According to Motorsport.com, Falk believes “the penalty was too severe.”

Falk also claims that NASCAR issued new rules on rear suspensions on March 24 and were not in place when the infraction was cited.

Being penalized “25 (points) is like taking two races from us,” Falk told Motorsport.com.

“We really think that we’re in the right - we’re not 100 percent right - but we’re not as wrong as they’re saying,” Falk said.

Falk believes the appeal will be heard after next weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, meaning Labbe will remain on suspension. He’ll be replaced for that race on an interim basis by veteran crew chief Pat Tryson, Motorsport.com reported.

Follow @JerryBonkowski