Except that since we never hear anything from the appeals process other than the verdict, NOBODY outside that room would ever know what the defense to the allegations were. Does the public not have the right know WHY the accused is appealing in the first place? I'll say it once again. YOUR Toyota's didn't appeal because they had no defense for what they did. It is OBVIOUS that in the HMS case, there were extenuating circumstances which lead the panel to modify the penalty, PLUS the fact that the "illegal" parts never hit the race track. If defending yourself in a disagreement over the facts of a situation is going sleezeball, then all hope has been lost. Yes, I am disappointed that the Appeals Board didn't come to the same conclusion in the Kaulig case, but without knowing what was argued or what evidence was presented, it would be impossible for a REASONABLE MINDED person to draw a conclusion as to why that was the case. I agree, NASCAR looks a little foolish, but if they are the least bit worried about it, then let them come down off their high horse and lay the FACTS of the case out there for everyone to judge for themselves. As long as they are unwilling to do that, I really don't give a damn how stupid they look. Chances are, if the whole truth came out, they would look FAR worse than they do now.