Appeals panel upholds most of penalty levied against RCR for manipulating Ryan Newman's tires
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A NASCAR appeals panel has upheld a penalty against Richard Childress Racing for intentionally manipulating the tires on a car driven by Ryan Newman at Fontana.
The three-panel committee did reduce the amount of points deducted from Childress and Newman from 75 to 50. The original $125,000 fine against crew chief Luke Lambert was cut to $75,000.
However, the six-race suspensions against Lambert, tire technician James Bender and race engineer Philip Surgen were upheld.
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NASCAR seized tires from four teams after the March 22 race in California amid speculation that crews were poking holes in tires to allow air to escape during a race. The process is known as "bleeding tires" and NASCAR warned warned crew chiefs about the penalties that would be levied against any team caught.