Richard Childress Racing has officially lost its appeal of Jesse Love’s Rockingham disqualification. The National Motorsports Appeals Panel (NMPA) agreed with NASCAR's decision following last Saturday's race. Initially, Love thought he had won the first Xfinity race at Rockingham in 21 years by snatching the lead away in an overtime restart. He drove from third to first in his first win at a non-drafting track, but the celebrations did not last very long.
The car failed post-race inspection a few hours later with JR Motorsports and driver Sammy Smith inheriting the race victory from Love. According to NASCAR, there was an issue with the rear suspension of Love’s No. 2 Chevrolet, stating: "All mating surfaces between the truck trailing arm and the U-bolt saddle must be in complete contact with each other."
