The National Motorsports Appeals Panel has upheld the disqualification of Jesse Love from the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Rockingham Speedway, following a hearing requested by Richard Childress Racing (RCR).

Love was initially declared the winner of Saturday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 250, but over two hours later, NASCAR disqualified him after discovering that the rear end of his car did not meet the required specifications. The issue pertained to the rear suspension and truck trailing arm spacers/pinion angle shims, which violated NASCAR’s technical rulebook.

Panel’s Ruling and Final Decision

After a thorough review, the three-person Appeals Panel, consisting of Bill Mullis, Hunter Nickell, and Steve York, issued its decision on Wednesday. The panel concluded that RCR “more likely than not” violated the rule related to the rear suspension setup.

The specific rule in question mandates that “all mating surfaces between the truck trailing arm and the U-bolt saddle must be in complete contact with each other.” The panel found that the surfaces were not properly aligned, which led to the disqualification.

While the panel did not determine whether the violation was intentional or unintentional, the ruling made it clear that Love’s disqualification stands. As a result, Sammy Smith is officially declared the winner of the race.

No Further Appeal Available

As per NASCAR’s rules on disqualification penalties, the decision by the Appeals Panel is final, and no further appeals are allowed. This marks the end of the matter for Love and Richard Childress Racing, who will now focus on moving forward after the setback.