The National Motorsports Appeals Panel has made its decision regarding the disqualification of Sam Mayer and the No. 1 JR Motorsports team.
The appeals panel upheld the Talladega disqualification. Mayer remains below the Round of 8 cutline, and he will not get back the points he earned last weekend at Talladega.
NASCAR officials disqualified Mayer and the No. 1 team after he crossed the finish line 16th last weekend. The reason presented in the post-race inspection report was that the No. 1 had failed rear heights for being too low.
Mayer and LW Miller presented their case Wednesday ahead of the Round of 12 elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval. The appeals panel ultimately determined that the No. 1 team had violated the NASCAR Rule Book Sections 14.17.3.2.2.2.A Post-Qualifying and Post-Race Rear Body Inspection Heights.
"The panel found that NASCAR used standard inspection procedures at Talladega Superspeedway on October 5, 2024, on the (No. 1) NXS car and found Rule 14.17.3.2.2.2 in violation," the appeals panel said in a statement.
The appeals panel consisted of Mr. Dixon Johnston, Mr. Bill Mullis, and Ms. Shawna Robinson.
According to the release from NASCAR, this decision is final. The team can not present its case to the Final Appeals Officer.
"Rear clip was bent (down behind the rear axle)," Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "Car was technically wrecked and will need a new rear clip and certification before it can compete again."
Before the disqualification, Mayer had moved to 10 points above the Round of 8 cutline. He was in a position to point his way into the next round of the playoffs.
The situation changed with the disqualification. Mayer is now 13 points below the cutline. He is behind Justin Allgaier (-7), Shane van Gisbergen (-10), and AJ Allmendinger (+7). The only driver behind Mayer is Parker Kligerman. The Big Machine Racing driver is 16 points below the cutline.
The decision of the appeals panel also means that Chandler Smith keeps his spot in the Round of 8. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver initially left Talladega with a 57-point cushion to the cutline. The disqualification gave him enough points to clinch his spot before taking the green flag at the Charlotte Roval.