NASCAR News 2008

[Unklescott]

NASCAR reversed their points penalty against Robby Gordon but upped the fine.
NASCAR.COM - NSCRC overturns penalties levied against R. Gordon - Mar 5, 2008

The National Stock Car Racing Commission on Wednesday heard and considered the appeal of Robby Gordon Motorsports regarding the No. 7 car. The appeal concerned three penalties issued by NASCAR following opening day inspection on Feb. 8 for the Sprint Cup Series event at Daytona.

The infractions concerned Section 12-4-A of the NASCAR Rule Book "Actions detrimental to stock car racing"; Section 12-4-Q "Any determination by NASCAR Officials that the car, car parts, components, and/or equipment used in the Event do not conform to NASCAR rules" and Section 20-3.1-A: "Unapproved front bumper cover."

The penalties assessed were:

• Loss of 100 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Car Owner Points for car owner Robby Gordon.

• Loss of 100 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Driver Points for driver Robby Gordon.

• $100,000.00 fine; suspension from NASCAR for the next six (6) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Events; suspension from NASCAR until April 9, and probation until Dec. 31 for crew chief, Frank Kerr.

The Appellants argued that the bumper cover was installed as delivered from the manufacturer, that it did not provide a competition advantage since it was discovered prior to being allowed on the racetrack, and that the bumper met the templates. The Appellants also argued against the severity of the penalties.

In deliberating, the Commission considered several factors. The bumper cover constituted an obvious rules infraction and the Appellants did not contest the legality of the part.

The Commission notes and reaffirms the following fundamental principal which is vital to maintaining the integrity of the sport: Regardless of the source of an unapproved part on a racecar, the race team that officially enters the car in a NASCAR race is ultimately accountable for that racecar's conformance, or non-conformance, to the rules.

NASCAR issued penalties and fines to the No. 7 team as a result of rule infractions found during Speedweeks at Daytona.

However, the Commission believes that the facts presented during the hearing represented an extraordinary and unusual set of circumstances. While this does not excuse the infraction, the National Stock Car Racing Commission has decided to reinstate the car owner and driver championship points, lift the suspension, and increase the fine.

The restoration of the points moves Gordon to 21st from 37th in the standings, lifting him well above the all-important top-35 mark needed to guarantee a spot in the field each week.

For the crew chief, Frank Kerr, the penalty is increased to $150,000 and he remains on probation through Dec. 31.

The Appellants have the right under Section 15 of the Rule Book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Commissioner.

"We see this as good news," Gordon said in a statement Wednesday night. "We are grateful the commissioners rescinded the points penalty and suspension but disappointed by the fine. Still, we see this as a victory for Robby Gordon Motorsports. We feel like justice was done and appreciate NASCAR creating a system that allowed us to take our appeal to the National Stock Car Racing Commission.

"Now we plan to put this issue behind us and concentrate on making the Chase in 2008 as well as getting the Jim Beam Dodge into Victory Lane. I want to thank the thousands of fans and our sponsors who have supported us through this episode and want everyone of you to know how much we appreciate all that you have done.

"Our goal is to be a model team in the future and never go through something like this again," Gordon said

.

[Google]

 

[Unklescott]

NASCAR penalizes Carl Edwards 100 points, plus 10 bonus points
NASCAR - Yahoo! Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—Carl Edwards used two straight wins to take the Sprint Cup points lead for the first time in his career.

On Wednesday, NASCAR said his Las Vegas victory was tainted and slammed Edwards and his Roush Fenway Racing team with its toughest penalty yet. Edwards was docked 100 points—knocking him out of first place—and stripped of the 10 bonus points he earned for the win.

Edwards would have carried those bonus points into the Chase for the championship, assuming he’s one of the 12 drivers to qualify for NASCAR’s 10-race sprint to the title.

“I’m not going to let this effect me,” Edwards told The Associated Press. “All I am going to say is, we’re all going to keep doing what we can do, and go as fast as we can. And I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing.”
ADVERTISEMENT

In addition to Edwards’ penalty, crew chief Bob Osborne was fined $100,000 and suspended six weeks, and Jack Roush was docked 100 owner points.

The penalties stem from post-race inspection Sunday when NASCAR discovered the cover was off the oil tank in the race-winning No. 99 Ford.

Rival competitors circulated a photo via e-mail Tuesday of Edwards doing a celebratory backflip off his car, and the cover is clearly not attached to the oil tank. It’s believed that by opening up the oil tank trunk, the air is able to circulate through the car and create as much as 10 percent more downforce.

NASCAR did not comment on the penalties, and Roush Fenway president Geoff Smith said the team had 10 days to decide if it will appeal.

Smith said the team believes a bolt failed on the cover, and it wants to get the part back from NASCAR to inspect it before deciding if it will fight the penalty. Until the decision is made, Osborne will begin serving his suspension and engineer Chris Andrews will fill in as crew chief.

“We are not yet sure if we will be participating in a 16th century exercise in the judicial system,” Smith said. “It’s a tough business for any race team to have to pledge $100,000, 100 points and a six-race crew chief suspension as an indemnity payment to NASCAR against a promise forced from us by NASCAR that no bolt will ever fail its purpose under race conditions.”

NASCAR’s ruling against Edwards’ team is the toughest to date toward infractions on its Car of Tomorrow. Smith said the team believes it is too severe, especially considering Michael Waltrip received nearly an identical penalty last year for having a fuel additive in his engine in Daytona.

Waltrip was docked 100 points, and his crew chief was fined $100,000 and suspended four races.

“So, you get 100 points for putting rocket fuel in your car, and then you get 100 points for a bolt coming too loose?” Smith asked. “There seems to be a little inconsistency here, and we’re being penalized for something we aren’t even sure gave an added performance to the car.”

NASCAR has shown a strict intolerance toward any modifications to the car it spent years developing and began using full time this season. And the infraction was expected to be tough based on recent precedent: NASCAR suspended five Nationwide Series crew chiefs two weeks ago because their oil tank covers were simply loose.

Some of those teams have appealed, and the National Stock Car Racing Commission this week overturned one of the penalties and amended several others. But Edwards’ cover was actually off the tank, which is a far bigger grievance with less room for reasonable explanation than a loose cover.

Because NASCAR does not typically strip teams of victories, the penalty did the closest thing to it. Under a tweak made last season to the Chase format, drivers earn 10 bonus points for every victory earned during the 26-race “regular season.”

Those points are used to seed the 12-man field for the Chase. Before Wednesday’s announcement, Edwards already had earned 20 points. With the 100-point penalty, he dropped from the top of the standings to seventh.

[Unklescott]

Mikey, Mikey, Mikey. Whatever are we going to do with you.
Waltrip: Our team took Roush Fenway part by 'mistake' - Sprint Cup Series - Scenedaily.com

Waltrip: Our team took Roush Fenway part by 'mistake'
By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor
Friday, March 28, 2008

Roush claims sway bar stolen by a Toyota team last year

TRD's White: We had nothing to do with missing Roush Fenway part

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Michael Waltrip confirmed Friday afternoon that it was his team that Jack Roush was alluding to when saying a Toyota team had stolen a sway bar from Roush Fenway Racing at Dover last September.

“It was a mistake,” Waltrip said. “Look at the back of these toolboxes. There are sway bars, there’s jack handles, and it wound up in our possession. We called them and said, ‘We want to give this back.’ ”

Earlier in the day, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon said the issue is “good entertainment” and that he hopes that Roush isn’t taking it too seriously. He said if Roush is really upset then Gordon wants to know “what’s going on with that sway bar. Maybe there’s something that we’re missing that really truly is contributing to how fast their cars are going.”

Waltrip referred to Gordon’s comments on the issue and indicated that Gordon was more unbiased than Waltrip himself could be from the inside.

“I would like for Jeff Gordon to be our spokesman on this one,” Waltrip said. “I think he summed it up really well.”

[MsMary]

I am a Robby Gordon fan. I was glad to hear that his fine was suspended and his driver and owner points were reinstated. I am all for NASCAR having and reinforcing rules, but I am for using common sense and good judgement, too. NASCAR did the right thing here, in my opinion. Robby had enough bad luck with the Dakar race.
Watkins Glen is my favorite track, in part because Robby does so well there. Hi, veejer. I should have made my location The Palace At Auburn Hills.

[veejer]

Originally Posted by MsMary

Hi, veejer. I should have made my location The Palace At Auburn Hills.

MsMary!!! I am a displaced Michigander. I left God's country many years ago to move to the nutty state to the south.

My favorite driver just retired, DJ. I'm not sure who I'm going to end up cheering for now. I've only ever been to MIS.

[Unklescott]

Aaron Fike was shooting heroin on race day? That's scary!
Jayski's® Truck Series Silly Season Site

Former racer Fike admits using heroin on race days: Suspended NASCAR driver Aaron Fike now admits that he not only secretly struggled with drug addiction for years but also shot up heroin on some race days. In his first in-depth interview since being arrested for heroin possession last summer, the 25-year-old said he had been using heroin for eight months and suffered from a dependency on painkillers for six years before that. In the weeks prior to his arrest, his once-a-week experiment with heroin had become a daily routine, including the days he was competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. NASCAR officials, when informed of Fike's admission, said the league has kept an eye on the more proactive random drug testing policies recently ramped up by the "Big Four" major league sports but point to the list of recent suspensions as proof that the current policy is working. "No system is perfect," said Jim Hunter, NASCAR vice president of corporate communications. "Our current policy has served us extremely well. We do have discussions from time to time regarding possible alternatives, so I wouldn't rule those out. But I think what our policy has allowed us to do up to this certain point in time, it has served us well." Fike said he hopes that his admissions will force NASCAR officials to rethink their current drug testing policy. Fike has returned to USAC's Midget series, where he is tested upon arrival at the track. He is currently serving a two-year probation and continues rehabilitation and counseling. Later this month he will launch This Web site coming soon as part of his court-agreed youth drug education program. He has also talked briefly with NASCAR officials about beginning the arduous reinstatement process, but realizes that his once-promising stock car career may be over.(ESPN)(4-9-2008)

[BoBoFan]

SportingNews.com - Your expert source for NASCAR Auto Racing stats, scores, standings, blogs and fantasy news from NASCAR Auto Racing columnists

NASCAR members mourn loss of official

By Amanda Brahler
Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
April 9, 2008


CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Brienne Davis, a 28-year-old NASCAR official, died Tuesday night as a result of an automobile accident on Interstate 77 in Huntersville, N.C., north of Charlotte.

Heading northbound, Davis drove onto the shoulder in a pickup truck and collided with another vehicle, according to reports from the scene. Her truck flipped after the impact and split into two. Davis was airlifted to a local hospital where she later died.

Davis paved the way for females within NASCAR with her knowledge and no-holds-barred attitude. Originally from Louisiana, she entered the sport in 2002 after attending an automotive program in Houston. Once she relocated to the Charlotte area, she began working as an engine builder for Dale Earnhardt Inc. She joined NASCAR in 2004 as an official in the Sprint Cup Series inspecting carburetors.

"She had a lot of expertise," NASCAR spokesperson Ramsey Poston said Wednesday. "She was an important part of the team. As a female, even more so. It is rare to have female inspectors, though we hope to have more. Her presence as a person and a friend to all of the officials in the garage is going to be missed."

John Darby, who oversees Cup officials as director of the Sprint Cup Series, could not be reached Wednesday. Darby, along with most NASCAR officials, was en route to Phoenix, Ariz., for this weekend's Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races at Phoenix International Raceway, where Davis was scheduled to work.

"She was someone who did her job very well," Poston said from NASCAR's office in Daytona Beach, Fla. "She was also someone who was quick with a smile. She loved Johnny Cash and Elvis. A lot of times if people saw her in the garage, she would be wearing an Elvis belt. That all will be missed."

Davis spent nearly three seasons working in the engine department at DEI. She worked alongside Richie Gilmore, now the vice president of motorsports for the company. Davis joined DEI during NASCAR's early efforts into diversity, and Gilmore said she distinguished herself in the male-dominated field.

"She demanded respect," Gilmore said. "The guys knew if they crossed her, she would whip them. She commanded that with her work ethic. She didn't want any special treatment. She carried her workload. She ran our teardown department and helped set up a lot of the organization that we still have today.

"The big thing with her, when she came (to DEI) she brought a lot of energy. She was such a team player, a great person to work with. It's such a huge loss at such a young age. Everybody here is saddened today, and we miss her."

[tapper01]

they did a tribute to her last night. She was beautiful

[Unklescott]

I don't know about this.
Tom Bowles: Stewart in talks to join new team in 2009 - Tom Bowles - SI.com

Stewart in talks to leave Gibbs
Tony Stewart and Joe Gibbs have created one of the most dominant teams on the Sprint Cup circuit with Stewart's No. 20 Toyota. Two titles, two Brickyard 400s, and 32 wins overall highlight a decade that's left them, with Roush Fenway Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, fighting for the label of top team in the sport.

Next season, they'll be waging that battle on opposite sides.

Sources tell SI.com that Stewart is working on the final stages of a deal to move from Joe Gibbs Racing to Haas CNC next season. Considering the ramifications of such a move, no one's admitting anything quite yet, as you'd expect. When reached for comment, Haas CNC Racing spokesman Ron Mench claims there's been no communication between Stewart and the organization. Stewart's PR spokesman Mike Arning was noncommittal ("I've heard what you've heard," when asked about Haas CNC) but he reminded SI that Stewart's contract with Gibbs runs through the 2009 season.

"He's there this year and he's there next year," claimed Arning. "And I know for a fact that JGR is interested in retaining Tony for '10 and beyond. They'd like him to retire at Joe Gibbs Racing. As Tony's said many times, 'Nothing's broke. Why change it?'

"Tony's going to have a lot of options in front of him; why wouldn't he? But I don't see [an early out happening] ... everyone is going to live up to the terms of the contract that runs through '09."

However, sources are adamant that not just the talking, but deal-making is already taking place for Stewart to go elsewhere. And, while sometimes a formidable opponent, contracts can be easily bought out, as Jamie McMurray and Kurt Busch have shown us in recent years. Both high-profile drivers, McMurray and Busch engaged in preemptive career moves that prompted a lengthy negotiation process to get them out of their deals a year early, allowing them to move to their current teams of Roush and Penske, respectively.

Stewart's contract extension had been a bone of contention long before '08 began; the veteran initially said he'd get a deal done last offseason, and then came to Daytona claiming he wouldn't work on it until the middle of this year. Instead, that extension will apparently be spurned for Stewart's return from Toyota to American-based General Motors, the only manufacturer he's driven for in his career until Gibbs made the switch prior to this season.

As with Dale Earnhardt Jr. a year earlier, Rick Hendrick is again playing an integral part in this deal. According to sources, Stewart will be given partial ownership in the Haas CNC program, which gets engines and support from Hendrick Motorsports. (Rumor has it many personnel decisions for Haas CNC come across Hendrick's desk while car owner Gene Haas spends time in federal prison for tax fraud; the owner plays a role there similar to Jack Roush for Yates Racing, hands off in name only while helping to support the team in other ways.)

Stewart will likely assume the helm of either the No. 66 or No. 70 cars currently driven by Scott Riggs and a hodgepodge of others (Jeremy Mayfield left the No. 70 team prior to Phoenix).

At first glance, the change is a head-scratcher; Haas CNC is an organization that's struggled at the Cup level, never finishing the season in the top 25 in owner points. Currently, its No. 66 car is 28th, with the No. 70 program outside the top 35 and forced to qualify on speed at Talladega. But when you take a deeper look into Stewart's career, you understand why such a move makes sense. In fact, it parallels a similar one made by Stewart's media nemesis but similar say-it-like-it-is personality, former champion and current FOX analyst Darrell Waltrip more

[gracie]

I heard about this yesterday Unk, and it's a real head scratcher. I'd like to see him stay with Joe Gibb, but I can understand the desire to stick with the cars he knows and likes, namely Chevys. He's not doing bad in the points, but he hasn't won a race yet either and to Tony winning is everything.