NASCAR displays Erik Jones greenhouse violation at Atlanta after failed appeal

Since the LEGACY Motor Club appeal failed on the Erik Jones penalty, NASCAR has now displayed the greenhouse violation. In a new wave of transparency, as a result of the outcry over the penalty process, NASCAR has started to display illegal parts and violations.

After a similar penalty to William Byron and Alex Bowman this season, many wondered what the issue could be with the greenhouse. This is the windshield area of the car. Front and back. According to NASCAR, it all relates to safety.

NASCAR allowed teams to smooth out an area on the car’s rear windshield so it would mount correctly. Teams were told they had to do it within a limit. They couldn’t just smooth it out as they saw fit and there were set parameters. Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports says Erik Jones’ did not line up.

In short, it impacts the “integrity of the mount.”

The 43 car greenhouse violation (and similar to Hendrick cars). This is top of back windshield. Teams were allowed to smooth out area near threads so they mount correctly. Rule requires minimum .130” from hole to threaded area … 43 car was 0.93 left and 0.115 right. Safety… pic.twitter.com/QYILCZjhiV

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 8, 2023

This goes to show that you cannot get anything past NASCAR. At least, not for long. When they tear a car down, they go over every millimeter of the vehicle. Erik Jones and his team were caught that week on a safety issue and paid the price.

Jones and his team are hoping for a better result this week at Atlanta.

Could Erik Jones win in Atlanta?

Now, I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but Erik Jones might be a top-10 lock for Atlanta. Even in this tough season for LEGACY, Jones and his teammate Noah Gragson have had some of their best runs on superspeedways.

Earlier this year, Jones was P8 at Atlanta and P6 at Talladega. Gragson ran a season-best P12 at Atlanta and had a great run at Talladega before being wrecked out of the race. Looking back on Jones’ history at the new Atlanta, he might have a shot.

At the new Atlanta configuration, Jones has an average finish of 8.6. Last year at the summer race, Jones finished P4 after the last lap crash. He was P8 earlier this season at the track. Jones just had a top-10 finish in Nashville two weeks ago and held his own for P16 in Chicago. He might be due for a big performance.

Even without the penalty for the greenhouse, the playoffs were a must-win situation for Erik Jones. He is going to have a shot at it. He turned up the heat at this point in the season last year. His victory just came one week too late to matter for the playoffs.