Brad Keselowski crew chief Paul Wolfe sees final appeal denied

Brad Keselowski's crew chief Paul Wolfe will sit out the final race of his three-race suspension this weekend at Kansas Speedway after his final appeal was denied Tuesday.

Wolfe was fined $65,000 and suspended for three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races – he sat one before the initial appeal was made and sat the second last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Team Penske also was docked 35 owner points and Keselowski the same after infractions discovered post-race at Phoenix Raceway on March 19.

The fifth-place finish was considered encumbered. Keselowski is virtually assured a spot in the Cup playoffs anyway with two wins, but 35 more points could come in handy come playoff time. The regular-season points leader earns a 15-point bonus entering the 10-race playoffs in September.

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Team Penske enters final appeal process after failed inspection at Phoenix

Keselowski’s infraction involved the “weights and measures” and the rear skew of the car.

After the ruling, Team Penske released a statement that reads:

“We are disappointed in the outcome of today’s final appeal hearing.  While we appreciate the process that NASCAR and the National Motorsports Appeals Panel has put in place to resolve issues like this, we felt like the penalties received following the March event at Phoenix were unjust.  Brian Wilson will once again serve as Brad Keselowski’s crew chief this weekend at Kansas Speedway.  We’re happy to finally have this behind us as the No. 2 team focuses its efforts on another Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship.”

Keselowski won the title in 2012.

Contributing: Brant James

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