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Tag: Penalties

  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fined, 2 crew members suspended after All-Star Race altercation

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fined, 2 crew members suspended after All-Star Race altercation

    NASCAR announced penalties today following the All-Star Race confrontation between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

    The incident stemmed from contact with Kyle Busch at the beginning of the race, knocking him out of contention after only two laps. Stenhouse could not leave the venue because the facility has no tunnel or a pedestrian bridge to exit without walking across the track.

    Stranded on the sidelines, a frustrated Stenhouse had plenty of time to think about what had happened and confronted Busch after the race. He ended the conversation by punching Busch in the face igniting a free-for-all between the two teams. Stenhouse’s father was also involved, grabbing Bush, as the fight escalated.

    NASCAR announced the following penalties Wednesday.

    “When crew members get involved and family members get involved, we’re going to react,” NASCAR Senior Vice President Elton Sawyer said. “That’s exactly what we did.”

    Ricky Stenhouse, Jr has been fined $75,000. JTG Daugherty Racing team members suspended for fighting include engine tuner Keith Matthews for four races and mechanic Clint Myrick for eight races (fighting and putting his hands on Busch). Richard Stenhouse (father) has been indefinitely suspended for grabbing Busch.

    Busch and his Richard Childress Racing team members did not receive any penalties.

    The suspensions and fines can be appealed.

  • The White Zone: NASCAR’s ‘total culture change’ goes beyond penalties

    The White Zone: NASCAR’s ‘total culture change’ goes beyond penalties

    If you weren’t convinced that NASCAR was serious about going in a new direction, Monday’s announcements should do the trick.

    NASCAR announced on Monday that if the race winner fails post-race inspection, he/she will be disqualified and dropped to the bottom of the running order. That includes the win, the trophy, the points, the money and even the roast beast.

    This is a departure from a longstanding philosophy in which NASCAR wanted the people who left the track to know that whom they saw win the race did indeed win. This probably made sense at a time when newspapers were the only reliable way of following the sport on a weekly basis. But the rise of the internet and social media made the aforementioned philosophy out-dated.

    Furthermore, it’s glaringly obvious that, no matter the deterrent system, teams didn’t take the penalties seriously.

    “I think for us, we’re really looking at a total culture change,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “We’ve been through a deterrence model where we’ve really worked with the race teams at the track and probably been more lenient than we should in terms of the number of times teams can go through inspection and pass, fail and there’s almost incentive to try to get something by NASCAR, so we want to really reverse that trend.

    “We’re going to put it on the teams to bring their equipment right. When they come to the track, we’ll be much less lenient as they go through technical inspection with stiffer penalties in terms of qualifying, and then ultimately during the race, obviously we want everyone to be racing straight up.”

    The key phrase in that quote is “total culture change.”

    In this instance, O’Donnell is referring to the culture of cheating in the NASCAR garage. But it also can be applied to NASCAR as a whole since the events of Aug. 6, 2018, the day former NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated (DWI) and 7th-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

    SEE ALSO: Brian France takes indefinite leave of absence following intoxicated driving arrest

    Given that it came less than 24 hours after Chase Elliott, the sport’s most popular driver, scored his first career victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, many in the NASCAR community, including myself, were rightfully angry that his arrest was the mainstream news story.

    SEE ALSO: The White Zone: It’s time to remove Brian France from the reigns of NASCAR

    I don’t bring this up to bash France, as I hope he gets the help he needs. I bring it up because it’s a microcosm of his time as the head of NASCAR. There was never a sense of direction under him, or that he was even interested in running the sport.

    Rather than be at Watkins Glen International to watch the new face of his family’s sport win for the first time, he was partying in Long Island.

    In his many press conferences over the years, he seemed aloof and barely understood what was happening in the sport. One in particular was his press conference at Richmond Raceway, on April 30, 2017. Chris Knight and I were up in the press box that afternoon. When it ended, he got up and said “Well that was a bunch of nothing.”

    And he was right. It was a conference of fluff. Now it didn’t help that nobody asked France a serious question. But even when someone asked him one in his other conferences, he often tap danced around it. Particularly when it came to the 13-year decline in television ratings and viewership (which I’ve gone into much greater detail about in a previous column).

    SEE ALSO: The White Zone: The light at tunnel’s end is growing dimmer

    While the sport remains in the control of the France family, with Jim France taking over as (Acting) Chairman and CEO, the public leader is NASCAR President Steve Phelps.

    In his first press conference as president back in November at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Phelps demonstrated that he had a sense of the direction in which he wanted to take NASCAR, particularly in regards to the 2019 aero package.

    “I think the rule package was put in place because we want to have the most competitive racing we can,” he said. “We believe the 2019 rules package is just exactly that. What effect it has on ratings or what effects it has on other things that are outside of our control, I can’t say.

    “I can say that we do believe that this racing, which today arguably is the best we’ve ever had, is going to get better. We have a promise to our fans, and that promise is about close, competitive, side‑by‑side racing, and we believe that this 2019 rules package will give us exactly that.”

    To be fair, this package was probably well into development before Phelps became president. But it was refreshing to see the sport’s public leader address topics with substantive answers. And while he kind of danced around the declining ratings, it was better than Brian France’s “changing tastes” nothing answer he repeatedly stated.

    And this “total culture change” at the top has trickled down to the other executives.

    Last November at Texas Motor Speedway, NASCAR came out and admitted that it dropped the ball on sending Jimmie Johnson to the rear of the field, when it shouldn’t have happened.

    O’Donnell said it was unacceptable and can’t happen again going forward.

    Compare that to the year prior at Richmond Raceway. NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller walked out of a media scrum, because we pressed him on the stopped ambulance at the entrance of pit road, when cars were coming in to pit, that took Matt Kenseth out of the race.

    SEE ALSO: Ambulance ruins Kenseth’s night at Richmond

    Bob Pockrass turned to Kurt Culbert (the (former) liaison between the media and the NASCAR executives) and said, and I’m paraphrasing, that “NASCAR stepped on its own dick, tonight,” and needed to acknowledge that.

    When moments like the aforementioned one at Richmond was what we usually got from NASCAR, it was a total shock to everyone that it came out and admitted that it made a mistake.

    In short: The “total culture change” referenced by O’Donnell, in regards to penalties, can be applied to NASCAR as a whole over the last seven months, and there’s truly a sense of direction from the people at the top for the first time in a long time.

    I won’t be hypocritical. I’m still skeptical about this new aero package for a myriad of reasons. But I understand where NASCAR is coming from on it, and the direction it’s going.

    Time will tell if it’s the right direction, but right now, I like the “total culture change” that’s happening in NASCAR.

    That’s my view, for what it’s worth.

  • Pair of No. 4 Teams, Others Facing Post-Atlanta Penalties

    Pair of No. 4 Teams, Others Facing Post-Atlanta Penalties

    The action and on-track drama at Atlanta Motor Speedway caused some teams to face post-race penalties across all three major NASCAR touring series.

    In the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the race-winning team of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford driven by veteran Kevin Harvick had one unsecured lug nut in post-race inspection. Crew chief Rodney Childers was fined $10,000 for the safety violation. No further fines or suspensions were placed on the team.

    Childers stated on Twitter his focus was on the win. While he knew his pit crew missed one lug nut, he understood what was on the line with that final pit stop.

    In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, two teams faced penalties for the same actions as Harvick’s team. The No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet and the No. 52 Means Motorsports Chevrolet were caught with one unsecured lug nut during post-race inspection on Saturday. Crew chiefs for both teams, Mike Shiplett and Tim Brown respectively, were each fined $5,000 with no further penalties. John Hunter Nemechek made his Xfinity series debut in the No. 42, finishing in the fourth position, while David Starr drove the No. 52 car to a 28th place result.

    However, it seems Kyle Busch received the most attention from the weekend. In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, his No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota received the biggest penalty across all three series.

    With six laps to go in the Active Pest Control 200 at Atlanta, Josh Reaume hit the wall, bringing out the yellow flag and sending the leaders to pit road in preparation for a two-lap overtime. Busch’s pit crew had trouble on the right-front tire, causing a delay with the pit stop. The rear tire changer came around to the left side and loosened the lug nuts already, as the team had already prepared to change all four tires. However, once the issue was corrected on the right front and the jack dropped, Busch and his crew chief called an audible for just right-side tires, leaving his pit box to keep his lead. He pulled away before the crew could place lug nuts back on the left rear tire. Ultimately, the tire came off while Busch was on the apron of turns 1 and 2, and had to back up onto pit row with sparks flying from underneath the truck. Busch ended the race in the 21st position, one lap down.

    Busch’s misfortune resulted in Brett Moffitt’s improbable win Saturday.

    According to the NASCAR Camping World Truck series, the rulebook states: “Any loss or separation of an improperly installed tire(s)/wheel(s) from the vehicle after exiting the team’s assigned pit box will result in a three-race suspension of the crew chief, tire changer of the lost wheel(s), and the jack man.”

    While Busch’s crew chief, Marcus Richmond, is an employee of Kyle Busch Motorsports, the jackman and rear tire changer were both from Stewart-Haas Racing. Coleman Dollarhide is a rear tire changer on Cole Custer’s Xfinity team and Kurt Busch’s Cup team. Jackman Ernie Pierce services Clint Bowyer’s Cup car at SHR. The main concern was how the penalty would affect Dollarhide and Pierce for their responsibilities to the other teams in the other NASCAR series.

    To Dollarhide’s and Pierce’s relief, NASCAR announced Wednesday morning that they both would still be eligible to perform their duties in both the Xfinity and Cup series and that their penalty would only affect the Truck series.

    When asked about the penalties issued to the various crew members, Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s chief racing development officer, shared in an interview on Monday the process they took to reach this conclusion.

    “I think that’s really the discussion, not so much will they be penalized; it’s should it just apply to the Camping World Truck Series. I think that’s where we’re leaning but (series officials) wanted to take the time to get through the weekend and have that dialogue internally.

    “We want to be as fair as we can. We want the penalty obviously to have some teeth into it. We think it does in terms of the suspension. We want to make sure it possibly just applies to that series and who is working on that race.’’

    Marcus Richmond, who was also suspended and faced fines, shared his disappointment in himself in a tweet on Wednesday morning.

    All three major touring series return to racing action this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Tickets are still available and can be purchased through the speedway’s website at http://www.lvms.com/tickets/pennzoil_400/.

  • Nos. 2, 4 Teams Penalized after Violations at Phoenix

    Nos. 2, 4 Teams Penalized after Violations at Phoenix

    By Staff report | NASCAR.com

    NASCAR levied L1-level penalties against the No. 2 car of Team Penske and the No. 4 car of Stewart-Haas Racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Wednesday following Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway.

    The violation for the No. 2 car is detailed in sections 20.17.3.1.2 of the NASCAR Rule Book (post-race general inspection measurements), and driver Brad Keselowski’s fifth-place finish in the Camping World 500 is encumbered, per section 12.10 of the NASCAR Rule Book.

    Meanwhile, the violation for the No. 4 car is detailed in sections 20.3.3.3 I-4 of the NASCAR Rule Book (track bar mount and supports) and driver Kevin Harvick’s sixth-place finish at Phoenix is encumbered.

    As a result of the violation, No. 2 crew chief Paul Wolfe was fined $65,000 and suspended from the next three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points races. The team was assessed with the loss of 35 driver points and 35 owner points.

    The No. 4 crew chief Rodney Childers was fined $25,000 and suspended from the next Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points race. The team was assessed with the loss of 10 driver and 10 team owner points.

    Team Penske and Stewart-Haas Racing both have the option to file an appeal to the National Motorsports Appeals Panel.

  • NASCAR: No Penalties for Busch, Logano Post-Vegas

    NASCAR: No Penalties for Busch, Logano Post-Vegas

    By Staff report | NASCAR.com

    Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and their respective crews will not face punishment for their post-race actions following Sunday’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    Following contact on the final lap while both were running in the top five, Busch’s No. 18 Toyota spun across the start/finish line to a 22nd-place finish. Busch and Logano were involved in a heated confrontation post-race on pit road. Crew members from the No. 18 (Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing team) and the No. 22 (Logano’s Team Penske team) quickly got involved before being separated by NASCAR officials.

    “After a full review of multiple videos and discussions with both competitors and their respective race teams, we felt Sunday’s post-race incident does not warrant any further action,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “NASCAR was built on the racing that took place on the final lap by two drivers battling for position. The emotions of our athletes run high, and Kyle Busch and Joey Logano are two of the most passionate and competitive drivers in the sport. Both competitors are very clear on our expectations going forward and we will be meeting with them in person prior to practice on Friday in Phoenix.”

    Logano told FS1’s “NASCAR Race Hub” on Tuesday that he and Busch have spoken since the incident.

    “We’ve spoken,” Logano said. “Obviously, we didn’t speak much there, so I got a chance to call him up earlier today to be able to talk to him a little bit and at least tell my side of the story. We’re going to have two sides to the story like there is all the time, but really the bottom line is we’re two passionate race car drivers. We’re two of the best in the sport that are going to go for wins that are aggressive and we collided.”

    TWO LUG NUT PENALTIES ASSESSED

    NASCAR assessed lug nut penalties to two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams on Wednesday. Both the race-winning No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team (for driver Martin Truex Jr.) and the No. 13 Germain Racing team (for driver Ty Dillon) were penalized for lug nuts not properly installed following Sunday’s Kobalt 400. In accordance with the NASCAR Rule Book, the crew chiefs (No. 78: Cole Pearn, No. 13: Robert “Bootie” Barker) for the teams were each fined $10,000.

     

  • Hot 20 – After Dover, it is Over for Four Contenders

    Hot 20 – After Dover, it is Over for Four Contenders

    According to the Chase, a couple of Penske drivers lead the way in the standings with Sunday’s race at Dover to determine the dozen who advance to the next round. According to our season long standings, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano certainly are worthy of consideration. Penske thinks so, as Logano this week signed a contract extension that should keep the team mates together for some time.

    Of course, consideration should also be extended to Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for their season efforts. In fact, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick are not too far out of the conversation just yet, either, and odds are all will also advance to the next stage of the “playoffs.” The cream continues to rise to the top.

    Whatever they do next year, it will be without benefit of private testing sessions. If NASCAR or Goodyear is not testing, then nobody is. In fact, getting caught doing so will result in the harshest penalties NASCAR can hand out. A minimum of a $150,000 fine, 150 points, a six week vacation for the crew chief kind of harshness. The annual three day test at Daytona to clear out the cobwebs is also gone. You get the feeling that they are serious about this.

    The reasoning behind it is to reduce costs to teams, and few seem to disagree. It is expected to be a boost for the lesser funded operations. Reduced horsepower and reduced spoilers are also slated for next season in the hopes it creates less down force and thus, more passing opportunities. Anything that makes the action better is more than welcome.

    Welcome news that Jamie Little is bound for FOX after the ESPN boat finally sinks. There is nothing wrong with the pit reporters on that network, but their analysts and hosts are a disaster. To borrow the line from Dennis Miller, “…of course, that’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.” Sorry, I just made myself laugh there.

    It is rather enjoyable to have a column such as this. It is merely a fan’s view, my honest observations. It is true that I do not enjoy seeing Logano, Denny Hamlin, or Brian Vickers win. That does not mean they are not lovely gentlemen. I bet if I shared a beer with any of them my perspective could probably change. I honestly do not enjoy the ESPN broadcasts, I think they do a disservice to the sport, but I also doubt my comments are going to cause anyone to fire Rusty Wallace tomorrow. You can agree or disagree, and we can have some fun in doing so. Sometimes, though, real life does jump out and bite us.

    I am glad to hear the criminal case against Tony Stewart has ended with the grand jury decision not to proceed. I am sad to hear that the family of Kevin Ward Jr. do not accept the verdict. They firmly believe Stewart intentionally accelerated his vehicle in a bid to intimidate the younger driver and in doing so, struck and killed him.

    “This matter is not at rest and we will pursue all remedies in fairness to Kevin.” As a father of sons not much younger than Kevin, I understand the sentiment. If Stewart’s actions did not kill their son, the actions of their son are what got him killed. No father would want to accept that. I sure would not. I do not know if I ever could.

    The top nine of our Hot 20 remain in the Chase, and should be there after this Sunday’s action. From Kasey Kahne on back, that is another story. As for who to expect to be among the contenders on Sunday, I think Kyle Larson will continue to show why he is the best newcomer this season. It think we also should have an idea how Johnson will do in his bid for seven, considering he is a nine time Dover winner.

    As for a bold prediction, based on past history, expect Kurt Busch, Hamlin, Aric Almirola, and A.J. Allmendinger to miss the Chase, and Greg Biffle to race his way to another set of downs.

    Hot 20

    *Winning bonus expanded from 3 to 25 points
    1 – Jeff Gordon – 3 Wins – 1041 Points
    2 – Brad Keselowski – 5 – 1025
    3 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 3 – 1017
    4 – Joey Logano – 4 – 1004
    5 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 939
    6 – Kevin Harvick – 2 – 916
    7 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 872
    8 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 854
    9 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 837
    10 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 821
    11 – Kasey Kahne – 1 – 809
    12 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 802
    13 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 783
    14 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 782
    15 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 781
    16 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 759
    17 – Paul Menard – 0 – 753
    18 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 727
    19 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 717
    20 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 701

  • MWR Controversy: Did The Penalties Fit The Crime?

    MWR Controversy: Did The Penalties Fit The Crime?

    NASCAR was faced with a very tough decision this past weekend…how to deal with a team that deliberately manipulated the chase outcome to benefit themselves? Four days later and race fans are still in an uproar over the biggest controversy to rock the motorsports world since the infamous “Crashgate” incident during the 2008 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. With the overwhelming evidence, all the publicity and the outrage from millions of disappointed fans; NASCAR had to act and act they did…with unprecedented penalties.

    The Punishment

    Before you continue reading, if you have yet to learn about all the evidence presented to NASCAR from the in-car video, (#15 & #55) radio communications and the suspicious post-race comments…please direct your attention here so that you may be enlightened: http://www.speedwaymedia.com/?p=67736 Now onto the record breaking penalties levied by NASCAR & the interesting reasoning behind why they did what they did…

    -MWR was found to have violated Section 12-4 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing). As a result, MWR’s three teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (No. 15, 55, 56) have been penalized with the loss of 50 championship driver and 50 championship owner points, respectively.

    -These point penalties are assessed following the season’s 26th regular season race and not after the seeding for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Therefore, the point total for the No. 56 car driven by Martin Truex Jr. is reduced to 691, putting him in 17th position and eliminating him from the second Wild Card berth for the Chase field. Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 car, now moves up into the Chase as the second Wild Card participant.

     -NASCAR has also fined the MWR organization $300,000 and indefinitely suspended Ty Norris, MWR Executive Vice President/General Manager and spotter for the No. 55 car, for violating Section 12-4. The three crew chiefs – Brian Pattie (No. 15), Scott Miller (No. 55) and Chad Johnston (No. 56) – have all been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

     -“Based upon our review of Saturday night’s race at Richmond, it is our determination that the MWR organization attempted to manipulate the outcome of the race,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. “As the sport’s sanctioning body, it is our responsibility to ensure there is a fair and level playing field for all of our competitors and this action today reflects our commitment to that.”

    I want to make it clear that NASCAR didn’t just hand Newman the Wild Card that would otherwise belong to Martin Truex Jr. He got it as a result of the 50pt penalty issued to the No.56 team. The point penalties were assessed before the re-seed so that’s why Ryan was able to overtake Martin in points. That is also the reason why Clint Bowyer starts the chase off as if nothing happened to him….I don’t like that part. The 50pt penalty issued to the No.15 was before NASCAR re-racked the standings so he goes to Chicagoland 15pts behind Matt Kenseth. Not 50 or 65 behind like some have mistakenly thought.

    NASCAR did not help Jeff Gordon though who was on his way to a chase berth before Bowyer’s spin. Their reasoning behind that? NASCAR felt that they couldn’t help those affected by the “ripple effect” of the Bowyer spin. They don’t know what would have unfolded in the final laps if that spin never happened and they weren’t about to make a chase altering decision based on assumption. If the spin never happened, Jeff might have fallen out on his own for all we know. That is why they couldn’t just give the Wild Card to Newman either…there’s no way of knowing with 110% certainty that he would have went on and won the race; way too many unknown variables for them to be able to make a fair decision.

    Morally…we all believe Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman both deserve a chase spot but factually, you just can’t say they would have held on in those final seven laps as much as we’d like to believe they would have. Ty Norris (MWR GM & Spotter For No.55 at Richmond) was the only one suspended and that is because he is the only person they have conclusive evidence against. (Instructed Vickers On Radio To Pit Because They Needed That 1pt) How we feel about all the other shenanigans that went on are just educated opinions based on observations and personal interpretation. Without admission, there’s no way of knowing for sure.

    NASCAR said they didn’t target Truex exclusively but that losing his chase spot was simply the byproduct of them penalizing MWR as a whole. That would also explain why they didn’t go and punish Bowyer enough to make sure he relinquished a top 10 spot to Jeff Gordon like so many fans wanted. As for Truex, I think Bob Pockrass put it well when he said it’s like a friend giving you a TV that they stole…you’re going to have to give it back even if you had no part in it. NASCAR actually handled this quite professionally and with leveled heads in my opinion. Doesn’t mean I completely agree with it but I’ll get to that later…now for some statements and Twitter reactions!

    Michael Waltrip 

    “What occurred on the No.55 radio at the end of Saturday night’s race in Richmond was a split-second decision made by team spotter Ty Norris to bring the No.55 to pit lane and help a teammate earn a place in the Chase. We apologize to NASCAR, our fellow competitors, partners and fans who were disappointed in our actions. We will learn from this & move on.” 

    Interview With Fox Sports 1’s Bob Dillner: http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/shakeandbake/race-hub-exclusive-video-waltrip-speaks-vickers-in-car-audio-091013

    Ty Norris

    “In the final laps I made a call to pit the 55 to benefit a teammate. It was a split second decision made in the middle of a chaotic finish bad on the circumstances. There was no time to think just act. Though it was to benefit MWR it is now clear it was to the detriment of the sport I love and have called home for the past 24 years.I apologize to all who were affected by that decision in the greatest race for the chase in its 10 yr history. I have dedicated my life to this industry and value its integrity and understand the decision.”

    “I am suspended for being a spotter, not a GM, for making a call to bring teammate to pit road. NO other reason. NO other incident.”

    Clint Bowyer

    Tweets: “No rearview mirrors in life, just windshield ahead. It’s been a great year and is going to be a great chase. Time to move on!!!” & “I sure hope you guys are as tired of hearing about me as I am talking about me!!! #uncleJackhereicome“

    ESPN Interview – Drilled by Ricky Craven: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9658424

    Marty & McGee Interview: http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=9658768

    Brian Pattie (#15 Crew Chief)

    SiriusXM NASCAR interview: https://soundcloud.com/siriusxmsports/brian-pattie-reacts-to-nascar

    Brett Griffin (#15 Spotter)

    “We all know the score. Its time to go do our jobs. Ill do it the same as I did last week. Love my team”

    “Team orders? Really. I swear on my kids lives no one gave me team orders.”

    NAPA

    “The actions taken by Michael Waltrip’s Racing team this past weekend leading to the penalties assessed by NASCAR, are very concerning. We are disappointed that a partner associated with our organization would make such a significant error in judgment. In addition, we have launched our own review to determine the future of our partnership with Michael Waltrip’s Racing team. The NAPA AUTO PARTS organization is proud of its long-standing NASCAR relationship. We share a passion with our customers for high quality racing and seek to determine the best course of action for our customers, NASCAR fans, and the NAPA organization.”

    5-Hour Energy

    “We respect NASCAR’s penalties against MWR & are addressing our sponsorship relations internally. We appreciate your understanding & patience”

    Martin Truex Jr.

    “I just want to take a min to thank my fans, NAPA AUTO PARTS, Toyota, NASCAR, my fellow competitors, & MWR for their support. I was very excited for my team when I learned that we clinched a wild card spot Sat night in Richmond. I drove the hardest race of my life that night & was unaware of any other circumstances other than needing to finish as high as I could to have a chance. This has been a very difficult situation for everyone involved. I hope we can all move on. I’m looking forward to Chicago, seeing all my fans & getting back in.My #56 NAPA Toyota. Thank you for all the messages. They are much appreciated.”

    Tony Stewart

    “Obviously, we’re very pleased with NASCAR’s decision to provide Ryan Newman’s rightful place in this year’s Chase. NASCAR was put in a very difficult position Saturday night at Richmond and we commend the sanctioning body for taking the time to do the necessary due diligence to ensure that the right call was made.”

    Ryan Newman

    “I am proud that NASCAR took a stand with respect to what went on Saturday night at Richmond. I know it was a tough decision to make. With that being said, myself, Matt Borland (crew chief) and this entire No. 39 team are looking forward to competing for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.”

    Jeff Gordon

    “Feel bad for Truex. He got in under controversy now out due to it. But the guy who started all of this not effected at all??? Don’t agree!” 

    “Take me out of this completely. At this point all that matters to me is if @NASCAR decides to fix this then fix it completely!”

    “Phone bat going to die. Prob a good thing b4 I say something that gets me in trouble. Lastly, someone explain the “ripple effect” to me?”

    His wife Ingrid replied, “@JeffGordonWeb Ripple effect is when first guy causes something and gets no penalty. Every driver effected by that first move gets Screwed!”

    Ryan Truex (Martin’s Younger Brother)

    “Like my dad tells me, all you can do is go out every weekend and drive the car as hard as you can. Everything else is out of your control.”

    Sherry Pollex (Martin Truex Jr.’s Girlfriend)

    “Our family is healthy & well. We have a warm bed to sleep in at night, many don’t. We are so blessed and have so much to be thankful for. I will stand by my man until the day I die. He is a steady rock in my life. The most honest, loyal and dedicated guy I know. We’ll be fine Thank you for all the messages, they mean a lot. Now 10 more races to go & try to win for this @napaknowhow team! Broken wrist and all!”

    Larry McReynolds

    “I close my night out by saying I applaud NASCAR for their decision tonight! I know many are happy and many disagree, but this type of thing that happened hurts the sport and integrity of our racing! I still feel bad for J. Gordon, but we all move on. We move onto Chicago to start our Chase and to possibly one of the most exciting Chase races in 10 year history!”

    Brad Keselowski

    “Don’t know how to say what I really think about Mwr penalty with out getting in a lot of trouble. Better stay off twitter for awhile…”

    Do we know for sure that Pattie, Waltrip and Bowyer are lying about the spin? As much as we’d like to think so, we do not truly no for certain and that’s why NASCAR called the video and audio from Bowyer concerning but inconclusive. That statement from an upset NAPA should be a real eye opener of how serious this is. They have had a relationship with Waltrip that goes back to 2001 and for them to say all that demonstrates just how many people this has angered. There are always morality clauses in contracts with sports teams/players and should they want to; NAPA could very well end their affiliation with the team after these transgressions.

    For reasons that we cannot ascertain with 100% certainty, Clint Bowyer spun out and completely changed the outcome of the race to make the chase. We all surely have our opinions on it and most, including myself, feel it was intentional although in my heart, I’d truly like to believe Clint…but I can’t. That spin seemed awkward and controlled to me; not the end result of a NASCAR superstar losing control while racing on the ragged edge.

    Michael Waltrip Racing claims the spin was accidental but is taking responsibility for the No.55 radio communication. They say it was a split second and on the spot decision by Ty though; not a well thought out plan that was waiting in the wings ready to be implemented at any moment if necessary. Personally, a teammate giving a fellow teammate a point happens all the time and isn’t that big of a deal to me but purposely causing a caution that changes almost every position on the race track does bother me. To NASCAR, the Vickers radio was the smoking gun needed to convict MWR. That alone wouldn’t have barred this massive penalty though.

    Seeing a lot of veterans of NASCAR say the spin was intentional is enough for me to stand by what I believe, despite MWR’s claims. NASCAR couldn’t entirely fix what MWR broke but they repaired it to the best of their ability in my eyes. If they started looking into what could have been, then we’d be opening Pandora’s Box. I feel they should have included a point penalty for Clint that would impede his chase hopes though; not take him completely out of the running but at least put him in a hole to start the 10 race stretch.

    This penalty assessed to MWR will certainly be a deterrent to any teams who are tempted by circumstance to determine their own fate in the future but it’s definitely not going to eradicate team orders by any stretch of the imagination. Teams will be hesitant to go as far as MWR did but there will always be that guy who “gets loose” in turn one while his teammate passes him or that one that “can’t get the throttle down off the corner” well enough to beat his teammate to the line for that bonus point. In the end, Truex Jr. didn’t get the Wild Card so I am content with the ruling for the most part. MWR’s efforts to get both cars in the chase were effectively thwarted in the end but now they must deal with the unanticipated repercussions of their imprudent actions.

    Racing has an uncanny way of policing itself when someone does wrong. Clint and his teammates will go to court when they take the green flag Sunday and it’s up to their fellow racers to determine their fate. Clint may get blatantly wrecked by someone and if so; it would most likely be by the hand of a disgruntled Jeff Gordon. Jeff says the anger and disappointment from all this is unlike any he’s ever felt before. The punishment may be much more subtle though. Holding him up on the track or blocking him in on pit road are two very effective ways of getting back at a fellow racer. Then there’s the old Alllison/Yarborough way where you break out the right hook and let the impact do the talking…I doubt it comes to that but you never know!

    I hate dwelling on such an unfortunate and uncalled for situation but you can’t ignore a story that has gained so much national attention. The guys over at MWR are not bad people…they are humans and humans screw up. There is no excuse for it but I don’t wish for their lives to be ruined because of it. The damage is done, the humiliation is ongoing and the black eye that has been cast over that organization won’t rescind anytime soon. NASCAR has made their point and this team must now deal with the consequences…now we wait to see how NASCAR handles the Logano/Gilliland controversy.

     

  • Michael Waltrip Racing will not appeal penalties handed down by NASCAR

    Michael Waltrip Racing will not appeal penalties handed down by NASCAR

    Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway turned into one of the most controversial races in the history of the sport. Fan response to Clint Bowyer’s well-timed and seemingly intentional spin that brought out a late race caution, coupled with an un-needed trip down pit road by Brian Vickers was unprecedented.

    Many fans were screaming for NASCAR to do something about what appeared to be an engineered plan from Michael Waltrip Racing to manipulate the outcome of the race to secure a spot in the Chase for team driver, Martin Truex Jr.

    Evidently, NASCAR knew their integrity was on the line as they handed down the most severe penalty ever handed out by the sanctioning body.

    The penalties included -$300,000 fine levied against the team, 50 owner and driver points deduction for each of the teams three cars (No. 15, 55, 56) and an indefinite suspension for General Manager, Ty Norris, who also serves as the spotter for Brian Vickers No. 55 car.

    The points deductions were assessed to the standings retroactively, before the re-seeding for the Chase. The results of those penalties were that MWR driver, Martin Truex Jr., who benefited the most from the incident, was bumped out of the Chase, and Stewart-Hass driver, Ryan Newman, was locked in to the final wildcard spot. Newman seemed to be well on his way to winning the race and securing a spot in the Chase before the caution came out.

    The penalties seemed to have been well thought out by NASCAR. The sanctioning body absolutely had to come out strong on this, as the integrity of the sport was being called into questions. Media outlets that usually do not cover the sport, were focusing attention on the issue. Additionally, social media was on fire with criticism of the sports rule makers.

    The team released a statement on Monday night shortly after the penalties were announced. From team owner, Michael Waltrip – “What occurred on the No. 55 radio at the end of Saturday night’s race in Richmond was a split-second decision made by team spotter Ty Norris to bring the No. 55 to pit lane and help a teammate earn a place in the Chase. We regret the decision and its impact. We apologize to NASCAR, our fellow competitors, partners and fans who were disappointed in our actions. We will learn from this and move on. As general manager, Ty Norris has been an integral part of Michael Waltrip Racing since its founding and has my and (co-owner) Rob Kauffman’s full support.”

    It should be noted that the statement does not address the spin by driver Clint Bowyer because NASCAR stated there was not conclusive evidence that the spin was intentional. The Bowyer spin was more publicized than the Vickers incident due to the fact that it actually brought out the caution. Listening to the radio conversation for Bowyer, he was never actually instructed to spin the car. Therefore, NASCAR could not fairly implement sanctions for that action, even though the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.

    During the radio conversation between Vickers and Norris, it was actually stated that Brian needed to pit to allow Truex to gain a point. After the instruction, there was then an attempt to fabricate a cover story for the action. NASCAR was able to penalize for this because there was no question to intent.

    By not appealing the penalty, MWR is taking responsibility for their actions. Hopefully, they will learn from this mistake and the severity of the penalty will send a message to other teams to not attempt such actions in the future. Only time will tell how long it will take the team to gain back the respect of the fans, fellow competitors, and the sanctioning body.

  • Why NASCAR NOT penalizing teams is wrong!

    Why NASCAR NOT penalizing teams is wrong!

    I am normally much more timely on these articles than this, and had actually toyed with the idea of scrapping this one completely to move to something more pressing. But, once I re-read what I had started writing I got fired up about the subject again and decided that this article deserved to be posted and hopefully read.

    Let me get this straight, NASCAR decided that it was “O.K.” for teams to play with the spacers, because they deemed that the teams didn’t get a “performance” gain? So if I were Chad Knaus and I arbitrarily decided that it was ok to shave some weight off of the “Newman” bar to relocate that weight to a lower section of the car, it would be ok? The structural integrity of the part be damned? When coupled with the fact that there were so many teams to be in violation of the rule, gives us in the media plenty of fonder to spin this story in plenty of directions.

    This is the spin I personally am going to take on this, when NASCAR decides to allow teams, crew/car chiefs to decide that a part that they purchase from an outside vendor to be used as they deem fit, it is a VERY slippery slope that NASCAR is allowing to be used. My second point is simply this, did NASCAR decide to not move forward with penalties because there were too many teams to be worth the effort of penalizing and then going through the appeals process?

    Let’s stop and think about this for a moment, like I mentioned above; if a team decides to simply “shave” a few grams or ounces off of a component that is part of the structural reliability of the car who is to say that it will simply stop with the roof flaps?

    The “Newman” bar is so named because of the numerous times that Ryan Newman has flipped over at the restrictor plate tracks and NASCAR deemed that supporting the cockpit with this bar would help to ensure the safety of the driver. Now I do not know the exact weight and component break down of this piece, and let’s face it neither does anyone outside the NASCAR garage since as of right now the NASCAR rulebook is clouded in more mystery than the location of the Holy Grail, or for that matter the actual launch codes for the United States missile defense system. But suffice it to say that it isn’t exactly light, and as we all know that any weight that you can move from the top part of the car and can place on a lower portion of the car is a good thing. Since moving the weight lower improves the overall performance and handling of the car.

    So for the sake of argument let’s say that some crew/car chief decides that they could gain some slight advantage by shaving just the slightest little bit from this “Newman bar,” then somehow this information “leaks” out and a few more crew/car chiefs decide to do the same thing. Suddenly we have a garage with let’s say five to ten teams that have done the exact same thing, Does NASCAR again step in and say, “Well since there was no ‘technical’ advantage gained there won’t be any fines in this instance.”

    Let’s continue to break down the above scenario thusly, if, for the sake of argument, Matt Borland decided that by shaving a few ounces off of the “Newman bar” that he could gain no performance enhancement. But instead gained a weight advantage by being able to move a few extra ounces lower on the car, would this be a punishable offense? Let’s go reductio ad absurdumon (the process of taking an argument to the worse possible conclusion, then criticizing the outcome of said argument.) this, if Matt Borland did shave the ounces. Again, building upon Newman’s penchant for flipping his car at a restrictor plate track; Newman flips his car. The shaved ounces on the bar that is supposed to secure the integrity of the cockpit of the car leads to a structural failure and Newman is killed in the wreck, gods forbid of course. Then what happens? Would there be a huge outcry because of yet another death in racing? Would Matt be ultimately tried for manslaughter since he put Newman in an unsafe car?

    I know that you are thinking that I am just being an extremist on this, that there is no way that shaving ounces and grams off of an item will lead to a complete parts failure. Please for a moment stop and think about the number of times that we have heard of someone saying that they were trying “experimental” components in various areas of the car and how it has led to a catastrophic failure of a component leading to devastating results for not only car and team, but also potentially fans as well.

    Again my main argument on this is rather simple. NASCAR has opened the door for the potential abuse of this inaction. What do I feel should have happened in the aftermath of “roof flapgate?” Probation should have been handed out to any team/crew chief not already on probation. For teams that were already on probation, then fines and suspensions needed to be handed out to show the seriousness of messing with anything on the car. Let alone a component on the car that is there to protect not only the driver but the fans as well. (Do I really need to make an argument for keeping cars on the track after the Nationwide Series race at Daytona?) I’m not saying that the penalties needed to be extravagant or over the top; but something needed to be levied against these teams to send a message.

    For teams that were already on probation, a simple three to five point penalty would have been enough to grab the attention of every team in the garage area. Suspension to the car and crew chief of at least one week would have also had the same effect, especially as we get closer to the Chase.

    My honest feeling on this is that NASCAR has taken a beating in the appeals process in recent years, didn’t want to get yet another black eye for penalties/sanctions and simply decided to take the path of less resistance and therefore simply let this incident “slide by” hoping that once Danica took out Stenhouse during a race, ( oh wait she already did that) that the media would move onto that topic and forget that they (NASCAR) are allowing people to play with the safety of not only the drivers but of the fans as well. If they are going to do that then why even bother with the rest of the inspection process?