Both teams were found to be in violation of  Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-12 (all suspension systems and components must be approved by NASCAR. Prior to being used in competition, all suspension systems and components must be submitted, in a completed form/assembly, to the office of the NASCAR Competition Administrator for consideration of approval and approved by NASCAR. Each such part may thereafter be used until NASCAR determines that such part is no longer eligible. All suspension fasteners and mounting hardware must be made of solid magnetic steel. All front end and rear end suspension mounts with mounting hardware assembled must have single round mounting holes that are the correct size for the fastener being used. All front end and rear end suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension component beyond normal rotation or suspension travel.) of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book.

As a result of the penalties, crew chief of the No. 2 team Paul Wolfe has been fined $100,000 and suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events (including the non-points Sprint All-Star Race) and placed on probation until Dec. 31.

Car chief Jerry Kelley, team engineer Brian Wilson and team manager Travis Geisler (serves as team manager for both Penske cars) have been suspended from NASCAR for the next six Cup races (including the All-Star Race) and placed on probation until the end of the calendar year.

Brad Keselowski has been penalized with the loss of 25 driver’s points, and Roger Penske has been docked 25 owner’s points.

Todd Gordon, crew chief of the No. 22 car, received the same penalty as Wolfe.

Car chief Raymond Fox and team engineer Samuel Stanley received the same penalties as Kelley, Wilson, and Giesler.

Joey Logano was docked 25 driver’s championship points, and Penske lost 25 owner’s points.

Penske plans to appeal the penalties. Penske posted on its Facebook page:

Penske Racing received communication today from NASCAR regarding penalties they have issued against the [Nos. 2 and 22] teams. Penske Racing will appeal utilizing the appropriate NASCAR process. We have no further comment at this time.

Update: The National Car Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel upheld the penalties issued to Penske Racing for violations found before the NRA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

After hearing testimony from Penske officials and carefully reviewing the facts, the appeals panel reached a unanimous decision.

Penske will now appeal to National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook.

Penske Racing owner Roger Penske said:

Obviously, we’re disappointed with the outcome. We met with the panel for over four or five hours. It was a good process. I feel we have a good case, and as we are allowed to under the NASCAR rules we will appeal to the next level. I can’t make any [further] comment. It’s clear we have a process. That’s why I’m better off to wait and see that conclude, and at that point I can make any other personal comments.

Update 3: National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook upheld the points penalties and fines assessed to Penske Racing for infractions found before the NRA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Middlebrook reduced the suspensions of seven crew members from six races down to two, including the Sprint All-Star Race. They will remain on probation until the end of the calendar year.

Middlebrook said:

After looking at all the facts and data and interpretations from the rule book, I have decided to uphold the original fines and points penalties. However, I have decided to reduce the suspensions of the seven team members involved from six points races and the all-star race to two points races and the all-star race.

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After making the offer at the 2012 Sprint Cup Series award banquet, Penske said:

If he wants to do the double, I’d put him in it. We’ve talked about it before. I guess I made it official tonight.

But, Stewart decided to pass on the offer. He said:

As much as I would like to do it, we just don’t have the time to do it proper. The IRL is so competitive now, you’re not going to just show up like drivers used to do in the past and be competitive. These guys don’t leave anything on the table there. You’re not going to stroll into the Indy 500 with these guys who race every week and be as competitive as they are. It was a very humbling comment and offer that he made, for sure.

He added:

I’m very humbled by the fact that he offered it to us. It’s a great opportunity, but it’s very hard when you’re running three Cup teams right now and the obligations that we have making sure that we’re doing the right things, we have a lot of people that depend on us. And, it’s kind of like being at Thanksgiving dinner. My plate is finally full. I don’t know if I can add anymore to what I have right now.

Stewart did, however, leave the door open to doing it in the future, if the offer still stands.

Allmendinger tested positive for a banned substance following the Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway. He was temporarily suspended minutes before the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. As per NASCAR rules, Allmendinger requested that his “B” sample be tested. When his “B” sample came back positive, his suspension became indefinite.

Following his suspension, he was released from Penske Racing and the No. 22. Sam Hornish Jr drove that car on an interim basis, and Joey Logano has been hired to drive that car in the Sprint Cup Series in 2013.

Recently, team owner Roger Penske said he would be willing to re-hire Allmendinger.

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Penske says, he feels Allmendinger has been too reclusive as he completes the program. So, Allmendinger attended the IZOD IndyCar Series finale.

He said:

I told AJ I wanted him to come to a race; I think he had been kind of undercover for quite a bit of the time, and I thought it would be good for him to get out and see people here, talk to some of the team owners. … I think hopefully we’ll get some answer from NASCAR as quickly as possible because the Chase has started now, hopefully they’ll give him a clean bill of health and he can move on. This is a speed bump in his career, but he’s certainly an option for people on the NASCAR side and the Indy side. He did a great job when you think about what he did in Champ Car.

When asked if he would hire Almmendinger, Penske said:

He could be an option for us, for sure.

While Penske may be willing to re-hire Allmendinger, a sponsor would have to be willing to sponsor him, which may make a return to NASCAR difficult, if not impossible.

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Candidates for the ride are said to be Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, Brian Vickers, and Sam Hornish.

Logano

Joey Logano appears to be the leading  candidate to take over the No. 22, which was vacated when AJ Allmendinger was released from the team following a failed drug test that resulted in his indefinite suspension from NASCAR. Logano, current driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Home Depot Toyota, may be on his way out at JGR. It appears that the team has signed Matt Kenseth, who announced earlier this year that he would be leaving Roush Fenway Racing, to drive the team’s No. 20 Camry. JGR has indicated that they would like to keep Logano, but that is contingent upon them finding sponsorship.

Newman

Ryan Newman could also be a candidate for the No. 22. Newman drove for Penske Racing in the ARCA Racing Series in 2000, and raced in what is now the Nationwide Series in 2001 for Penske. He drove for Penske in the Cup Series from 2002 to 2008, leaving for Stewart Haas Racing before the 2009 season. Newman could re-join his former team owner. But, SHR would like to keep Newman if sponsorship can be found. Army announced it would be leaving NASCAR at the end of the season, leaving without a sponsor for some races next season. Quicken Loans, however, is rumored to be considering stepping up and sponsoring the team for more races next season. If they do, it is highly unlikely Newman would leave SHR.

Vickers

Brian Vickers could also be a candidate for the No. 22. Vickers currently shares the No. 55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota with Mark Martin. Vickers missed a good portion of 2010 due to blood clotting issues. He returned to Red Bull Racing in 2011, but failed to post impressive results. At season’s end, Red Bull Racing pulled out of NASCAR competition, leaving Vickers without a ride. He was unable to secure a full time ride for 2012, and ended up with MWR on a part time basis. Vickers could drive for MWR full time in 2013, but there is nothing to indicate that this is likely to occur.

Hornish

Sam Hornish currently drives the No. 22 on an interim basis, filling in ever since Allmendinger was released. Hornish has posted somewhat impressive results in the car, finishing fifth at Watkins Glen. He has run six races in the car, posting four Top 20 finishes, including one Top 5. Hornish also drives in the Nationwide Series for the team. He is currently third in points with seven Top 5s and 14 Top 10s. Penske indicated that Hornish would receive consideration for the ride because Penske says that they are loyal to him.

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The team plans to have two cars next season in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 2 of Brad Keselowski and the No. 22 of  Kurt Busch. The team also plans to field two cars in the Nationwide Series next season, a car for Keselowski, and a car for another driver.

The team has no sponsors lined up for Hornish next season, but because the team is in the top 35 in owner’s points, Hornish may run the first five races of the season because the team would be locked into those races.

Penske said:

We’ve got the ability to run in the first five races on the Cup side. So what we’re trying to do is, can we mix and match to get somebody in for us for next year.

Addington said:

I am really looking forward to working with Penske Racing, Kurt Busch and the Miller Lite Dodge team. This a championship-caliber team with a great driver, and with the resources and experience at Penske Racing, we have the opportunity to add to the team’s success starting next season.

Pat Tryson, who together with the elder Busch finished fourth in the championship standings this season, left PCR to join Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 56 team, and driver Martin Truex Jr. So, PCR began looking for his replacement. 

Team owner Roger Penske said:

Steve Addington has a proven track record of success in NASCAR, and we are excited to welcome him to Penske Racing. By adding Steve to the winning Miller Lite team and working closely with Kurt, we believe we have the combination in place to compete for a championship as we head into the 2010 season.

In Addington’s first season with Kyle Busch, the duo won eight races and posted 17 top 5s, and 21 top 10s. Busch also led the points for 21 of the first 26 races, and he led the points for the 17 races leading up to the Chase. But, once in the Chase, a series of mechanical failures and bad finishes caused him to finish the season 10th in the standings.

This year, many expected him to dominate, much like he did last season. He did win four races, but that was only half of his win total the previous season. He missed the Chase by eight points, and the decision was made to separate Busch and Addington. Shortly thereafter, Addington left JGR.

Addington looks to help the No. 2 team build off of its strong 2009 campaign. Busch won two races, and posted 10 top 5s, and 21 top 10s.

Kurt Busch said:

We’re coming off a strong season, but I know we can be even better in 2010. With Steve on board, I am confident we can build on the momentum from 2009 and compete for wins and the series title in the Miller Lite Dodge.   

I’m not saying that Penske is lying, or that he is working behind the scenes to secretly bring Saturn to NASCAR. Truth be told, he probably has so much on his plate with figuring out what he actually has in Saturn that bringing the brand to NASCAR is very low on the list of priorities.
 
That does not rule out the possibility, of course.  It just rules it out in the immediate future. I think that Penske Championship Racing — and anyone fielding Dodges at this point — has to be concerned about the future of that brand.

Penske, I’m sure, has a close eye on what is going on with Dodge, and may need to rethink what type of car he fields, should Dodge continue to struggle and cut financing.

Enter Saturn.

According to NASCAR rules, the cars that compete in the series must be based in the U.S., which Saturn currently is. Penske may look to foreign manufacturers to build the cars in the future, but so long as the model they use in NASCAR is built in the U.S., it qualifies. So that should not be an issue.

With NASCAR’s car of tomorrow, the cars share little more with their street counterparts than the decals. Thus developing a Saturn version, at least conceptually, wouldn’t be that hard. The COT’s design seems to limit the amount you can do with the nose — having that splitter — so there is a much better platform for Saturn to build off of than with the previous car. My guess is that it wouldn’t be too hard to fine tune the nose of the car to make a competitive Saturn race car.

It would be nothing like when Dodge re-entered the series in 2002. Back then, the cars had a more bullet-like shape, so hours needed to be spent in the wind tunnel working on the shape of the car. As a matter of fact, if memory serves me correctly, Dodge’s initial nose wasn’t great. It stood up a little too much, creating a lot of wind resistance. They redesigned the nose so that it was more curved, and in line with the noses of the Monte Carlo, Fusion, and the Grand Prix.

Adding in how much the rear wing specs limit the amount you can do with that end of the car, developing and building a Sprint Cup car these days probably isn’t the burden it once was. Toyota went through the Goody’s Dash series in 2000. In 2001, it won its first race in the series, and in 2003 it won its first championship.

In 2004, it entered the Camping World Truck Series, and won races in 2005. Todd Bodine won the championship in a Toyota in 2006, and Johnny Benson won the championship in a Toyota last year. And, in 2007 Toyota entered the Sprint Cup series and won for the first time 40 races later with Kyle Busch behind the wheel. So, it took Toyota seven years to get into the series and eight to be competitive.

Saturn, most likely, wouldn’t face such a long road, but it would encounter some hurdles, I’m sure. For starters, I can’t find a single Saturn v8. Their cars and SUVs only feature v6 engines, which means Saturn would need to develop a v8 to participate in the series. Most teams have complex engine departments, so this could be accomplished, but it would take time.

Saturn makes SUVs, but not trucks. So, they couldn’t use the Camping World Truck Series as a testing area/proving ground without incurring the high costs of breaking into the truck market. 

And with Saturn being in financial trouble, entering NASCAR may not be financially feasible. One thing most people have contended is that when Toyota entered the sport, they had the financing to be competitive. They could essentially throw money at the situation to help improve it. For example, Toyota had a humble beginning when it started because it was partnered with Michael Waltrip Racing, Bill Davis Racing, and Red Bull Racing. These teams were not very competitive in 2007. In 2008, Joe Gibbs Racing switched to Toyota, and that has propelled it to being a winning brand. I highly doubt Toyota could have attracted JGR without financial backing to convince them they could win with the brand.

Saturn may or may not have that. That doesn’t mean it is impossible, but they probably don’t have the money to lure a large team. Of course, Penske Championship Racing would be likely to switch to Saturns because of the obvious link. But, would violate conflict-of-interest rules, because Penske owns the brand and the race team? I don’t know. It would be interesting to see how that would play out.

Saturn could potentially cash in on Dodge’s misfortunes. If Dodge were to bow out of the sport due to bankruptcy, that would leave Richard Petty Motorsports looking for a manufacturer. But, smaller teams wouldn’t be as likely to switch to a new manufacturer if there were a bunch of Dodge COTs being sold by PCR and RPM. It would be cheaper for those micro-teams to buy the used Dodges, even if they could only use them for one year.

Again, despite Penske’s comments, I think that Saturn could come to NASCAR. Granted, a lot of things would have to happen first to make it happen. But, it could happen. Before Roger Penske bought the brand, most people would have never imagined Saturn entering NASCAR, but, the purchase is sure fueling speculation, and it is making it a distinct possibility for the future.