Gordon And Johnson Penalized For Cheating
NASCAR showed again it won’t tolerate any modifications to its Car of Tomorrow by levying stiff penalties against Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and their crew chiefs Tuesday.Gordon, the four-time series champion, and Johnson, the defending Nextel Cup champion, were each docked 100 points. Crew chiefs Chad Knaus and Steve Letarte were both fined $100,000 and suspended for six races because their cars failed an initial inspection at Infineon Raceway.
The penalties are a blow to Hendrick Motorsports, which has 10 wins this season — four each from Gordon and Johnson. Team owner Rick Hendrick said he was disappointed and called the punishment ”excessive.”
“Right now, all of our options are being evaluated, including our personnel situation and a possible appeal to the National Stock Car Racing Commission,” Hendrick said in a statement. “We’ll take some time to decide on a direction and make an announcement regarding our plans for New Hampshire later in the week.”
Excessive? Hardly.
How else are they going to curb cheating in the sport? Short of sending a driver home for the weekend, how else are they going to make them start abiding by the rules?
I think the penalty for Letarte was fair, since this was his first offense, but I think the penalty for Knaus was not severe enough. Why do I think that? Could it have anything to do with the fact that he has been suspended four times since 2001. NASCAR didn’t take that into consideration though, lucky for him.
I honestly didn’t expect Gordon and Johnson to receive the same penalty that Junior did a month ago. I am shocked at NASCAR’s consistency, but it’s a good shock.
Technorati Tags: NASCAR, Nextel Cup, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr, penalties
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Sphere: Related ContentGordon & Johnson Fail Initial Inspection
Uh oh. Looks like someone was trying to skirt the rules… again…
The cars driven by Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson failed initial inspection and won’t be allowed to practice or qualify Friday for the Nextel Cup race at Infineon Raceway.
The No. 24 and No. 48 Chevrolets had modifications to the front fenders “found to be outside NASCAR tolerances,” NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said. No further penalties or suspensions were announced.
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“It’s important to know that this is a Car of Tomorrow penalty,” Poston said. “The inspection process and NASCAR’s reaction to violations to the Car of Tomorrow violations are going to be more severe. We’re going to keep this car in check.
NASCAR has yet another opportunity to be consistent. Remember last month…
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was docked 100 points and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. was fined $100,000 and suspended six races after NASCAR discovered illegal brackets on the rear wing of the No. 8 COT Chevrolet last month at Darlington Raceway.
So what do you think? Will Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson receive 100 point penalties? Will their crew chiefs be suspended for six races?
My bet is no, but we shall see.
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Sphere: Related ContentNASCAR Sues AT&T Over Sponsorship
This has to be the stupidest thing I read all weekend.
NASCAR filed a $100 million counter claim against AT&T Inc. on Sunday, accusing the wireless provider of interfering with its exclusive sponsorship agreement with rival wireless company Nextel.
The suit also asks that NASCAR be granted the right to kick AT&T — and all telecommunications companies other than Nextel — out of its top series in 2008.
Why in the hell would NASCAR want to drive all of the other telecommunication companies out? Because of the Nextel/Sprint sponsorship of the Nextel Cup? Are they kidding? Do they really think if Nextel/Sprint is the only telecommunications company mentioned during a race any of us will actually switch to them? HELL NO.
In fact, if NASCAR wins this lawsuit, and does kick all telecommunications companies out of Nextel Cup sponsorships, I am going to boycott Nextel/Sprint.
Why would I support them? It may be the Nextel Cup, but I sure as hell would never own a Nextel phone now, that’s for sure. I know, I know, corporate sponsorships are worth billions of dollars, but guess what? I don’t give a shit. As a fan, I don’t care who sponsors who or what. I’ve never purchased anything or changed my shopping habits because any of the drivers I support have a logo splashed on their hood. Well, except Jeff Burton, and the reason for that decision is based on NASCAR, not AT&T.
When this whole brouhaha started and NASCAR said that AT&T could not update their logo on Jeff Burton’s Cingular Wireless #31, I decided I was switching to AT&T for my wireless needs. My contract with my current carrier runs out the first week of August, and I will be signed up with AT&T when it expires, I can tell you that right now.
NASCAR is seeking a ruling that it “may take certain actions for the 2008 season in order to protect NASCAR and all participants in the sport by placing NASCAR into full compliance with the terms and conditions of the Nextel Sponsorship Agreement.”
HAHA. Protect NASCAR? HAHA. If that’s isn’t the biggest crock of shit, I don’t know what is. What, or who are they trying to protect? I didn’t hear NASCAR crying all these years that Alltel and Cingular have sponsored cars. I didn’t hear them complaining about the money flowing in from fans who support Ryan Newman and Jeff Burton. Nextel/Sprint must be really scared of AT&T and NASCAR must think they need to protect them.
Pitiful, really.
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Sphere: Related ContentDale Jr. Joins Hendick Motorsports
Well, it’s official.
The biggest free agency period in NASCAR history lasted just a little over a month. Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced Wednesday that he will join Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears at Hendrick Motorsports beginning next season.
Kyle Busch, currently the fourth driver at Hendrick, will depart at season’s end. Team owner Rick Hendrick said he and Busch agreed that it would be best for the 22-year-old to pursue other attractive offers.
NASCAR rules limit each owner to four teams, so one had to go for Earnhardt to join Hendrick’s powerhouse team. Hendrick said he knows fans will expect him to deliver Earnhardt a winning car.
“I feel the pressure,” Hendrick said.
I think Jr, and NASCAR as a whole, would have benefitted more if he had signed with Ginn Racing or even started up his own team, but I congratulate Jr. on his decision.
Technorati Tags: Dale, Earnhardt, Jr, NASCAR, Hendrick, Motorsports
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Sphere: Related ContentUgh…
I really, really, hope the speculation is wrong.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has decided where he will drive next season, and all signs point to Hendrick Motorsports.
NASCAR’s most popular driver called a Wednesday news conference at his race shop, JR Motorsports, and spokesman Mike Davis said it was to announce his plans for 2008 and beyond.
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Sphere: Related ContentKurt Busch Fined
As he should have been.
Kurt Busch was docked 100 driver points Friday, fined $100,000 and placed on probation until the end of the year for reckless driving and endangering a crew member on pit road.
Car owner Roger Penske also was penalized 100 owner points because of Busch’s infraction.
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Busch and Tony Stewart were both running in the top 10 in Monday’s race at Dover International Speedway when Busch clipped Stewart as he went to make a pass in lap 271. Busch nosed into the wall and Stewart was sent hard into the SAFER barrier on the outside retaining wall.
While Stewart’s team checked out the damage to the No. 20 Chevrolet in the pit stall, Busch pulled next to Stewart’s car, forcing jackman Jason Lee to jump back and onto the hood.
NASCAR parked Busch and he finished 42nd.
I am a fan of Kurt Busch, but it’s time to grow up already.
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Sphere: Related ContentBill France, Jr. Dies
William C. France Jr., who helped build NASCAR into one of the great American success stories in more than 30 years at the helm of his family’s business, died Monday afternoon. He was 74.Mr. France had been struggling with his health for the past several months. His passing was announced at 2:20 p.m. during the Fox Sports broadcast of the rain-delayed Autism Speaks 400 from Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
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Mr. France was once described in an article in “New Yorker” magazine as “an American hybrid — the second-generation self-made man. … Although he knows kings, presidents, CEOs, and movie stars, he is not impressed by glamour. Left to himself, he’s a profane and down-to-earth old salt who likes to ride on his boat, fish, and eat hot dogs.”
Mr. France suffered a mild heart attack while attending a NASCAR exhibition race in Japan in 1997. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1999 and in 2001 he had heart surgery and hip surgery.
“On average, I feel pretty good,” he once quipped. “It’s like if you put your feet in a deep freezer and your head in a microwave oven, on average you feel pretty good. … I like to consider myself pragmatic. I don’t think it’s any secret that everybody has to go sometime. It’s just a question of when. You just have to take things as they unfold.”
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Sphere: Related ContentWelcome Back Michael!
Michael Waltrip qualified for his first race since the Daytona 500.
Michael Waltrip is finally back on track.
After missing 12 straight races, the two-time Daytona 500 champion qualified 23rd Friday for Sunday’s race at Dover International Speedway.
Embarrassed by an off-track incident where he fell asleep at the wheel and was charged with reckless driving and failing to report an accident, a cheating scandal that cost him his crew chief and the string of DNQs, this has been a miserable season for Waltrip and his No. 55 NAPA Toyota team.
No kidding. Let’s hope Michael can turn the rest of the season around, and at least appear in most of the races.
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