Post by dalejrfan on Feb 15, 2006 5:17:52 GMT -5
Officials say cheating, excessive bumping won't be allowed
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The look on the face of NASCAR series director John Darby was priceless on Tuesday when asked if Chad Knaus cheated more than any crew chief in the Nextel Cup garage.
"Wow!'' said a red-faced Darby during a seminar on competition at Daytona International Speedway.
Darby never answered the question, but NASCAR officials sent a strong message that cheating and excessive bump drafting will not be allowed.
Darby and Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, reiterated that Knaus likely will be suspended beyond Sunday's Daytona 500 after rigging the rear window of Jimmie Johnson's car for an aerodynamic advantage during qualifying.
A source close to NASCAR said the suspension likely will include the next two races at California and Las Vegas. Pemberton said Johnson also could be penalized driver points when further punishment is decided early next week.
NASCAR also plans to implement a system that will penalize drivers for excessive bump drafting after heated complaints from reigning Cup champion Tony Stewart and other drivers following Sunday's Budweiser Shootout.
Pemberton said extra staff and television monitors will be used to watch for bump drafting, primarily in the corners that have been dubbed "No Zones.'' He said penalties would range from a pit road pass to being parked if there are repeat offenders.
"We're gonna make calls that won't be popular at times,'' Pemberton said. "We hope that we make the right calls. But if we have to step in to try and regulate this, this is what we're going to do.''
Pemberton said NASCAR's Research and Development Department is looking at ways to make the front end of cars more susceptible to damage from a hard bump without sacrificing safety
That was one of the suggestions made by Stewart, who said somebody was going to get killed if bump drafting wasn't curtailed.
Until then, Pemberton said the solution will be a judgment call by officials until drivers back off.
"It's in their control,'' he said. "We can only say that so many times. They've got a steering wheel, a gas pedal and a brake pedal, and they can use anyone or all three at the same time if they want to.
"We're being asked to do something to try to regulate that. They don't have to run into each other.''
Drivers weren't at the track on Tuesday, but in a comment to the Associated Press Michael Waltrip said enforcing the rule would be tough.
"Because even the most sublime bump drafts at a time when a guy's getting ready to make a move in another direction can result in sending a guy out of control,'' he said. "It seems to me it would have to result in a crash before [NASCAR] could react.''
Pemberton said most of the focus will be on the corners. Waltrip said bump drafting, a move where a driver bumps the car ahead of him to create an aerodynamic push, also can cause havoc on the straightaways.
"You have to know the other guy is going to continue in a straight line,'' he said. "Even if you barely bump draft him, it would cause a crash if he's starting to make a move.''
Darby said there is a place in the sport for bump drafting, but not the "slam drafting'' that has evolved from it. Pemberton, after reviewing tape from the Shootout, said there were at least a couple of incidents in which a penalty could have been called.
Mark Martin said most of the violators were younger drivers. Pemberton would not pinpoint names. He said a veteran who correctly uses the bump draft will be looked at no differently than a younger driver that doesn't.
"We're not picking on anybody,'' he said. "We're trying to do what's best for the sport all across the board.''
Pemberton and Darby said ejecting Knaus, who has been fined by NASCAR several times the past few seasons, from remaining activities this week also was best for the sport.
"I can tell you we've spent a lot of energy talking about Chad and what he did, his innovation, the direction he's chosen to run his race team,'' Darby said. "Somehow through that process we're forgetting about the 500 other guys who are left in the garage who are doing it the right way.
"And the reason we're even involved in what we do is to protect them. So I think the message is there.''
Darby said NASCAR discovered the violation when one of the inspectors noticed the shape of Johnson's car appeared different after qualifying.
Upon further inspection, it was discovered that an adjustable component used to move the track bar that holds the rear end centered had been rigged to push the back window out to create an aerodynamic advantage after the car went through pre-qualifying inspection.
A source said the difference was more than three-quarters of an inch.
"That's a very aerodynamic-sensitive area on the racecars, and anything you can do to raise the rear window in there essentially diverts air away from the spoiler,'' Darby said.
Darby said NASCAR will continue to increase penalties until everybody gets the message. He did not rule out the possibility of one day sending an entire team home for the weekend, particularly while other teams that are not guaranteed a spot in the field may be left out despite playing fairly.
"Obviously, [Johnson's team] is a very competitive team in our garage,'' Darby said. "There is a huge part of every race team's agenda that the more aggressive you can be in competition the better your results will be.
"What they need to be better at is where the aggression turns to concerns about the rulebook
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The look on the face of NASCAR series director John Darby was priceless on Tuesday when asked if Chad Knaus cheated more than any crew chief in the Nextel Cup garage.
"Wow!'' said a red-faced Darby during a seminar on competition at Daytona International Speedway.
Darby never answered the question, but NASCAR officials sent a strong message that cheating and excessive bump drafting will not be allowed.
Darby and Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, reiterated that Knaus likely will be suspended beyond Sunday's Daytona 500 after rigging the rear window of Jimmie Johnson's car for an aerodynamic advantage during qualifying.
A source close to NASCAR said the suspension likely will include the next two races at California and Las Vegas. Pemberton said Johnson also could be penalized driver points when further punishment is decided early next week.
NASCAR also plans to implement a system that will penalize drivers for excessive bump drafting after heated complaints from reigning Cup champion Tony Stewart and other drivers following Sunday's Budweiser Shootout.
Pemberton said extra staff and television monitors will be used to watch for bump drafting, primarily in the corners that have been dubbed "No Zones.'' He said penalties would range from a pit road pass to being parked if there are repeat offenders.
"We're gonna make calls that won't be popular at times,'' Pemberton said. "We hope that we make the right calls. But if we have to step in to try and regulate this, this is what we're going to do.''
Pemberton said NASCAR's Research and Development Department is looking at ways to make the front end of cars more susceptible to damage from a hard bump without sacrificing safety
That was one of the suggestions made by Stewart, who said somebody was going to get killed if bump drafting wasn't curtailed.
Until then, Pemberton said the solution will be a judgment call by officials until drivers back off.
"It's in their control,'' he said. "We can only say that so many times. They've got a steering wheel, a gas pedal and a brake pedal, and they can use anyone or all three at the same time if they want to.
"We're being asked to do something to try to regulate that. They don't have to run into each other.''
Drivers weren't at the track on Tuesday, but in a comment to the Associated Press Michael Waltrip said enforcing the rule would be tough.
"Because even the most sublime bump drafts at a time when a guy's getting ready to make a move in another direction can result in sending a guy out of control,'' he said. "It seems to me it would have to result in a crash before [NASCAR] could react.''
Pemberton said most of the focus will be on the corners. Waltrip said bump drafting, a move where a driver bumps the car ahead of him to create an aerodynamic push, also can cause havoc on the straightaways.
"You have to know the other guy is going to continue in a straight line,'' he said. "Even if you barely bump draft him, it would cause a crash if he's starting to make a move.''
Darby said there is a place in the sport for bump drafting, but not the "slam drafting'' that has evolved from it. Pemberton, after reviewing tape from the Shootout, said there were at least a couple of incidents in which a penalty could have been called.
Mark Martin said most of the violators were younger drivers. Pemberton would not pinpoint names. He said a veteran who correctly uses the bump draft will be looked at no differently than a younger driver that doesn't.
"We're not picking on anybody,'' he said. "We're trying to do what's best for the sport all across the board.''
Pemberton and Darby said ejecting Knaus, who has been fined by NASCAR several times the past few seasons, from remaining activities this week also was best for the sport.
"I can tell you we've spent a lot of energy talking about Chad and what he did, his innovation, the direction he's chosen to run his race team,'' Darby said. "Somehow through that process we're forgetting about the 500 other guys who are left in the garage who are doing it the right way.
"And the reason we're even involved in what we do is to protect them. So I think the message is there.''
Darby said NASCAR discovered the violation when one of the inspectors noticed the shape of Johnson's car appeared different after qualifying.
Upon further inspection, it was discovered that an adjustable component used to move the track bar that holds the rear end centered had been rigged to push the back window out to create an aerodynamic advantage after the car went through pre-qualifying inspection.
A source said the difference was more than three-quarters of an inch.
"That's a very aerodynamic-sensitive area on the racecars, and anything you can do to raise the rear window in there essentially diverts air away from the spoiler,'' Darby said.
Darby said NASCAR will continue to increase penalties until everybody gets the message. He did not rule out the possibility of one day sending an entire team home for the weekend, particularly while other teams that are not guaranteed a spot in the field may be left out despite playing fairly.
"Obviously, [Johnson's team] is a very competitive team in our garage,'' Darby said. "There is a huge part of every race team's agenda that the more aggressive you can be in competition the better your results will be.
"What they need to be better at is where the aggression turns to concerns about the rulebook