NASCAR team issued massive penalties for offseason violation

NASCAR has issued a massive penalty to Mike Harmon and Mike Harmon Racing after they committed a violation of the vehicle testing policy.

Mike Harmon, the owner and driver of the #74 Chevrolet for his own Mike Harmon Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, was issued a massive penalty for an offseason violation of the vehicle testing policy.

Harmon was assessed an L2 penalty for violating Section 5.1.a.c.d: Vehicle testing in the NASCAR Rule Book. This penalty includes a loss of a whopping 75 owner points and 75 driver points, both of which will be applied in the 2022 season.

NASCAR also fined crew chief Ryan Bell $50,000, and they have suspended him for the next six points-paying events, presumably the first six races of the 33-race 2022 campaign.

This violation came about because the team had run laps with the #74 Chevrolet at Rockingham Speedway on Saturday, November 13.

Mike Harmon Racing even posted pictures of the event on social media, not knowing that they were in apparent violation of the policy.

After the sanctions were announced, the 63-year-old Birmingport, Alabama native confirmed the team’s intent to appeal, noting that the use of the #74 Chevrolet at Rockingham Speedway was by no means a form a testing, but rather a form of participation in an exhibition charity event.

The fact that the team would post multiple pictures of the on-track action would seem to verify the fact that they had no intent of any wrongdoing.

Motorsport 4the Masses, the organizer of the event where Harmon drove, released the following statement.

"We held exhibitions at Rockingham that day, not test sessions, not races. The purpose was to let people see stock cars gracing a historic speedway again.Mike Harmon was a last-minute addition.He did not ask or discuss his reasons for being at our event beforehand, he was treated as all other participants.We did not know what car he was bringing beforehand, and quite honestly, until someone told me it was an Xfinity car he still drove, I had assumed he was retired based simply on how long ago he had started racing.He did make a comment to me when (as I say to all drivers at our events), “I hope you had a good day and enjoyed yourself.”His comment was “Yall run a good event. It is nice to just drive with friends with no pressure and enjoy it every now and then.”As for whether he was testing or not, only he knows that answer but he, like all participants honored my instructions in the drivers meeting to “drive slow enough it would take a blown tire or oil on the track to lose control, please stay off the ragged edge.”We did not know he was in violation of any NASCAR rules nor did we see him as anything but another participant.We only wish the best for him and NASCAR going forward."

An event official even commented on the post: “NASCAR fined a driver for participating in our Nov 13 event.”

This, too, points toward the idea that Mike Harmon Racing had no intention of breaking — or trying to hide the violation of — any NASCAR rules.

Whether or not anything will come of the team’s appeal remains to be seen, though should nothing change, the massive penalties handed down by NASCAR for the 2022 season will be felt far beyond the start of the year.