Martin Truex Jr. Penalty Upheld; Are His Chase Hopes Over?

Yesterday, NASCAR ruled on the appeal from DEI regarding the No. 1 car of Martin Truex Jr. on the penalties issued over the July 4 weekend at Daytona.

Apparently, that car was way off from the templates and NASCAR confiscated it almost immediately.  While Martin gave it his best effort in a back up car for that race, the damage had been done and he and the entire team realized that serious repercussions, fines and point loss, would follow.

The other shoe did indeed drop and DEI’s appeal was denied. DEI did not contest the infractions themselves, but they did appeal the severity of the decision.

NASCAR, however, felt the penalties were consistent with others that had been set earlier in the year when there were changes made on the COT car that were not approved or did not fit the specifications that they have been so carefully monitoring.

While the team knew that an appeal was practically useless, they still held out hope for some reduction in the penalties, especially in the points area.  

They have been so close to cracking that top 12 for the chase, and were hoping against hope that the severity of the penalty would be overturned so as not to set them back even further.

The penalties that have been upheld are indeed harsh, including a $100,000 fine, suspension of Kevin “Bono” Manion as crew chief for six races, suspension of team member Gary Putnam for six races, and worst of all, loss of 150 championship points for both cars owned by Teresa Earnhardt and for driver Martin Truex Jr.

So, do this driver and team have what it takes to regroup, rebound and get themselves back on track for the Chase?  Only Martin Truex Jr. himself can answer that question.

Martin is a scrappy driver and has the potential to not only pull himself together but also to use this as inspiration.  Honing his skills in the Camping World East series (formerly the Busch North series), he certainly knows about facing adversity and clawing his way up in racing. 

Plus, he is from New Jersey, so that’s got to count for something!  There have been other difficult times, however, when Martin’s confidence has suffered and he has spiraled downward instead.

The penalties are now affirmed.  This weekend’s race will say a great deal about the new race that Truex Jr. will be running—and if he has the will to succeed.