Post by dalejrfan on May 12, 2006 14:45:33 GMT -5
Labbe rejects 'cheater' label, says he offered to quit NASCAR team, was turned down
DARLINGTON, S.C. – Richard "Slugger" Labbe, crew chief for Dale Jarrett's No. 88 Fords, said he offered to quit this week after he was penalized by NASCAR for an unapproved sway bar last weekend at Richmond, Va.
Labbe said Yates would not accept his resignation.
"He said we weren't going to do that because what I did was not a flagrant violation of the rule book," Labbe said Friday. "That's the way I feel.
"I don't like the term 'cheater' because I don't think that's what we did. We worked hard to get an advantage because the competition is so strong.
"There's not a crew chief in the garage that goes through inspection that's not sweating, either before the race or after the race. We're nervous about what we do because we push a lot of issues."
NASCAR suspended Labbe four races and fined him $25,000 and stripped Jarrett of 25 points and car owner Robert Yates 25 points for the violation. Labbe is allowed to work until his appeal is heard on Wednesday.
Labbe and Yates have received a good share of criticism this week, particularly from Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson.
Earlier this season during Daytona Speedweeks, Yates made some strong comments about crew chiefs that bend the rules in reference to the suspension of Chad Knaus, Johnson's crew chief.
"I just hope Mr. Yates lives up to what he said he would do in the media center when he was down there throwing stones out (his) glass house saying if anybody in his organization was ever caught cheating that he would fire them," Johnson said Thursday night on his XM Satellite Radio show, "Not What You Expected."
"Everybody is probably learning Yates and their organization - the Texas race - NASCAR saw something with the back of the car that they didn't like with the rear sway bar and how it would pick the race car up and give them an advantage and they said, 'Hey just take it off ...You can race ...Take it off ... Don't bring it back,'" Johnson said.
"First of all, if that would have been the 48 they would have locked our car up, sent Chad home once again and it would have been a big mess."
Labbe said he can take the criticism.
"A lot of people beat up on Chad. It's something new to do," Labbe said. "I got people calling me 'Chad.' And I said, 'It's Mr. Knaus to you.'
"You got to have fun with it because this is a tough sport. People are giving me a hard time because they're my friends and they care about it."
Labbe said if his appeal is not successful there is plenty of work at Robert Yates Racing's shop.
"We'll probably cut a body off our speedway car, work on our road course stuff," he said. "There are a lot of things to do, but I hope it doesn't go through."
DARLINGTON, S.C. – Richard "Slugger" Labbe, crew chief for Dale Jarrett's No. 88 Fords, said he offered to quit this week after he was penalized by NASCAR for an unapproved sway bar last weekend at Richmond, Va.
Labbe said Yates would not accept his resignation.
"He said we weren't going to do that because what I did was not a flagrant violation of the rule book," Labbe said Friday. "That's the way I feel.
"I don't like the term 'cheater' because I don't think that's what we did. We worked hard to get an advantage because the competition is so strong.
"There's not a crew chief in the garage that goes through inspection that's not sweating, either before the race or after the race. We're nervous about what we do because we push a lot of issues."
NASCAR suspended Labbe four races and fined him $25,000 and stripped Jarrett of 25 points and car owner Robert Yates 25 points for the violation. Labbe is allowed to work until his appeal is heard on Wednesday.
Labbe and Yates have received a good share of criticism this week, particularly from Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson.
Earlier this season during Daytona Speedweeks, Yates made some strong comments about crew chiefs that bend the rules in reference to the suspension of Chad Knaus, Johnson's crew chief.
"I just hope Mr. Yates lives up to what he said he would do in the media center when he was down there throwing stones out (his) glass house saying if anybody in his organization was ever caught cheating that he would fire them," Johnson said Thursday night on his XM Satellite Radio show, "Not What You Expected."
"Everybody is probably learning Yates and their organization - the Texas race - NASCAR saw something with the back of the car that they didn't like with the rear sway bar and how it would pick the race car up and give them an advantage and they said, 'Hey just take it off ...You can race ...Take it off ... Don't bring it back,'" Johnson said.
"First of all, if that would have been the 48 they would have locked our car up, sent Chad home once again and it would have been a big mess."
Labbe said he can take the criticism.
"A lot of people beat up on Chad. It's something new to do," Labbe said. "I got people calling me 'Chad.' And I said, 'It's Mr. Knaus to you.'
"You got to have fun with it because this is a tough sport. People are giving me a hard time because they're my friends and they care about it."
Labbe said if his appeal is not successful there is plenty of work at Robert Yates Racing's shop.
"We'll probably cut a body off our speedway car, work on our road course stuff," he said. "There are a lot of things to do, but I hope it doesn't go through."