CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR’s chief appellate officer overturned on Tuesday the bulk of the penalties levied against five-time championship winning crew chief Chad Knaus, who still must pay a $100,000 fine because Jimmie Johnson’s car failed the opening day inspection of the Daytona 500.

Chief appellate officer John Middlebrook overturned the six-race suspensions NASCAR handed down to Knaus and car chief Ron Malec, and ruled both instead will be on probation through May 9.

Middle-brook also reinstated the 25 points that Johnson had been docked. The decision moves Johnson to 11th in the Sprint Cup standings heading into Sunday’s race at California.

“It’s been a tough 30 days,” Knaus said. “It’s not about vindication. It’s time to move on.”
Johnson, who earned his first career victory at California in 2002, was ready to get on with the season. He was told by Knaus via text message about the ruling.

“I’m glad this is over; now it’s on to Cali,” he posted on Twitter.

Knaus and Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick have maintained the No. 48 Chevrolet was not illegal when it was presented for inspection Feb. 17 at Daytona. NASCAR used a visual inspection to determine the sheet metal between the roof and the side windows had been illegally modified to give Johnson an aerodynamic advantage.

The car was never sent through NASCAR’s templates, and the team maintained it had not been altered since it was approved in January at NASCAR’s R&D Center. Hendrick also said he had paperwork showing the car was exactly the same as it was following Johnson’s win last April at Talladega.

“My argument was simply that the car is out in plain view. The car went to the tech center. It was inspected at the race track. It was inspected at the tech center on multiple occasions, and it was at the tech center as late as January. And the car had not been altered,” Hendrick said. “We even had one of the NASCAR officials make comments about the car being correct. We had all that documented.

“I think by going piece-by-piece, date-by-date, you could see there was no ill intent by our part. … Our car was approved.” 

Both Knaus and Hendrick seemed relieved rather than jubilant following Tuesday’s ruling. They both said they were stunned a week ago when a three-member panel unanimously upheld all of NASCAR’s penalties. That, not Middlebrook’s ruling, was the most surprising part of the process.

Still, both maintained the car never should have been ruled illegal. 

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