Nascar Rules! Or Creative Inovation Not! (1 Viewer)

[Larry]

This is more or less by memory and a phone call but it is interesting.
Today NASCAR fined several crew chiefs and took away points from the drivers even before the first race.
The Ray Eperham [ sp] entries had some creative weight saving qualities not allowed.
The Toyota entries were [ rumor ] told to exit the facility ?
Something about jet fuel setups dropping into gas tanks?
Well JP6 wouldn't do much good but maybe 130 AV gas.
I also heard illegal intake manifolds. Take your pick .
Recalling AJ Foyt's car being tore down for excess fuel coming from somewhere and the gas tank being removed for checking and nothing found.
Afterwards Foyt said I told you nothing was wrong ,throwed the tank in the back fired it up and drove all the way to his shop area. LOL
Good thing he didn't catch fire and need those bottles!
Anyway Toyota can't be too happy about that tonight!

 

[Nitrohaulic]

Reminds me of what's supposed to be a true old story. A guy pulls out of his driveway one day and goes not far down his road before he hears a loud crashing behind his car. Stops, turns around, and goes back to see what it was. When he sees it, he hurries on home and pulls into his driveway while his car is still running. His gas tank fell off and he was running on what was still in the lines and carb.

The old NASCAR cheating stories I've read about. One involved Pepsi cans full of lead. Each crewmember had one in his hand. When it was time to weigh the car, each put his "Pepsi" down on the right side floor long enough to push it up onto the scale. Another involved a radiator hose for a fuel line. Another was a fuel line that went around and around the car several times. Another involved having domed pistons in one side of the engine, that they'd remove the cylinder head from the other sde for inspection.

LOL, I used to be on the mailing list for a sprint car racer from the midwest who'd clean out his garage every six months or so. He called me personally once to make me a real good deal on an old Edelbrock Torker BBC intake (which I still have and would let go for very reasonable money--the old one where the carb sits diagonal). Has a little 1/4" hole right next to the one for the distributor, then each intake port has a 1/8" one underneath, currently with brass plugs in them. Seems he had a reason to want to sell it to someone who wasn't local to him!

 

[sharkman]

I was listening to the sportsbash on XM 140 (ESPN Radio) today and they were crying??? about NASCAR and cheating, compared to other sports, how these guys only get suspended for two or four races because of cheating, and all other sports the suspensions are much greater. Lets face it, its Man or Machine here, A Man takes steroids and kicks butt in his sport then HE should get suspended for an indefinite amount of time, but a Machine gets altered by the Crewchief then HE should be suspended, but the car should be able to compete with it's driver (provided it passes inspection), I think Nascar is doing the right thing, four races and 25,50, or 100 points are tough to make up. These guys have been "bending" the rules since this sport was started, IT IS NASCAR! that is what they do.

 

[willy]

Man I read $100,00 fine for Waltrip's crew chief..and Toyota is re-evaluating their agreement..like if Mike and crew might not be the ones to represent Toyota..ick.

This could get ooglee..

 

[PJ]

didn't last year winner have their crew chief suspended for the race?


to me if they don't sit the driver down for a race or two then its pointless to da anything. Just one more reason why nascar stinks

 

[vegasnitro]

I still want to know what the substance was in Waltrip's manifold. Whatever it was, they found it in the fuel cell too. NASCAR was very specific about the infractions on the Evernham and Roush cars, but they have been very ambiguous about Waltrips infraction, only saying that the "substance in the manifold reappeared when the engine was restarted" and that they were fining him $100K and 100 points. Waltrip is firing his crew chief over the incident.

EDIT: I also think it is hilarious that Toyota is trying to talk about integrity and some moral high road when they almost single-handedly ruined the WRC in the mid 90's with their Celicas that were found to be WAY illegal. They were actually BANNED from international competition by the FIA, which was why they didn't enter Formula 1 until 2001.

 

[Jim]

The problem I have with NASCAR is that will will fine/suspend/dock points etc for a pre-race inspection infraction. I thought the point of a "pre" inspection was to make sure everything was OK with the car and it was within the rules before you took to the track. If it is not, tell them what is wrong and let the guys fix it and get reinspected. To me that takes out the creativity for these teams. If you think you have somthing that is with in the rules you should be allowed to present to NASCAR for pre-race inspection with out being penalized. Take something to inspection that you know is against the rules and that is a different story.

Last year they talked about someone who used to put lead buck shot in the frame rails of the car to make it heavier for inspection. When the race started he had it rigged with fishing line to pull a cap off and relaese the shot all over the track while going around the corners. The shot will roll down the track and no one would be the wiser.

 

[Bullard Anderson]

Yes, Chad Knaus was given the eject last season and Darian Grubb Crew Chiefed for 4 races and won the 500.

Grubb is now the crew chief for the #25 of Casey Mears.

Waltrip crew chief David Hyder may be released to save face for MWR.

I love the Thursday Duels!

 

[vegasnitro]

The problem I have with NASCAR is that will will fine/suspend/dock points etc for a pre-race inspection infraction. I thought the point of a "pre" inspection was to make sure everything was OK with the car and it was within the rules before you took to the track. If it is not, tell them what is wrong and let the guys fix it and get reinspected. To me that takes out the creativity for these teams. If you think you have somthing that is with in the rules you should be allowed to present to NASCAR for pre-race inspection with out being penalized. Take something to inspection that you know is against the rules and that is a different story.

This is EXACTLY Ray Evernham's point. Evernham claims those are the EXACT SAME bolts that passed inspection at every NASCAR event last year (on the 10 and the 19 rear spoiler), and now he gets 2 crew chiefs suspended, fined 25K each and docked 25 points each driver and owner. No explanation was provided by NASCAR as to why the bolts were fine all last year and why they are not now, nor why he wasn't given a chance to change the bolts since they were found before either car went out on the track.

 

[Rollout96]

This is EXACTLY Ray Evernham's point. Evernham claims those are the EXACT SAME bolts that passed inspection at every NASCAR event last year (on the 10 and the 19 rear spoiler), and now he gets 2 crew chiefs suspended, fined 25K each and docked 25 points each driver and owner. No explanation was provided by NASCAR as to why the bolts were fine all last year and why they are not now, nor why he wasn't given a chance to change the bolts since they were found before either car went out on the track.

I don't follow NASCAR closely... Don't they have any sort of appeal process?

 

[Bullard Anderson]

Yes, the appeal board is a formal board of folks that don't deal in the NASCAR body from day to day. It's weird. The mainstream doesn't really know any of the board members, or who they are, are credientials.

If Evernham is right, and telling the truth, NASCAR is dead wrong.

 

[WB_Strip]

If the substance was in the fuel tank how did it get by the Carb with out plugging it up. Would have though that anythink that left a built up in the intake would not get by all those little holes.


Lanny

 

[Larry]

Lanny: The word I got was it was injected into the fueltank from ????.
The bolt's were not hidden at all and their was no effort to conceal them.
Hardly a flagrant violation in my book .
Stretching the rules w/o breaking them is the norm in racing but injecting additive into a heretofore sealed fuel cell goes way passed cheating and involves the safety of the driver.
Last night I saw that half the Toyota's made the field.

 

[Bullard Anderson]

On Jeff Gordon's Rule Violation in the 150:

The time is now, if your not legal, then you don't get the win. Gordo got the win, but starts in the back. They should have set a precedent here by taking the win (in a not so big deal race) away. I'm black and white. You just can't win a race when your not legal, and others on the track are.

 

[Rollout96]

On Jeff Gordon's Rule Violation in the 150:

The time is now, if your not legal, then you don't get the win. Gordo got the win, but starts in the back. They should have set a precedent here by taking the win (in a not so big deal race) away. I'm black and white. You just can't win a race when your not legal, and others on the track are.

My local paper said that his car was 1 inch too low but that it appeared to be from a parts failure. I guess I just don't get that. If it was a parts FAILURE how could he be held accountable at all? I'm thinking our paper left something out of the story.