NASCAR Announces Penalties
By Nick DeGroot
NASCAR has issued multiple penalties today to Penske Racing, Martin Truex Jr and Ron Hornaday. Penske was found to have read end housings that were tampered with while Truex’s car was too low in post-race inspection. Hornaday wrecked Darrell Wallace Jr. under caution at Rockingham so NASCAR also issued some penalties to him. The punishments were…
Penske Penalties
Officials force Penske Racing to change the read end housings in their cars less than an hour before the start of the 2013 NRA 500. Credit: Robert Laberge
– Crew Chief’s Paul Wolfe (#2) and Todd Gordon (#22) have each been fined $100,000 and have each been suspended for six weeks and placed on pobation until December 31st
– Car chiefs Jerry Kelley (#2) and Raymond Fox (#22), team engineers Brian Wilson (#2) and Samuel Stanley (#22) and team manager Travis Geisler have all been suspended for the next six weeks and placed on pobation until December 31st
– Drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano have eached been docked 25 driver points and Penske Racing docked 25 owner points for each car
Penske Will Appeal the Penalties
Martin Truex Jr. Penalties
– Crew Chief Chad Johnston (#56) fined $25,000 and placed on probation until June 6th
– Driver Martin Truex Jr. docked 6 driver points and MWR docked 25 owner points
Ron Hornaday Penalty
– Ron Hornaday docked 25 driver points and fined $25,000 and placed on probation until June 12th
If you want to know exactly what rules these teams/drivers were found to be in violation of then here you go:
Penske Racing Both cars were found to be in violation of Sections 12-1; 12-4J and 20-12 (all suspension systems and components must be approved by NASCAR. Prior to being used in competition, all suspension systems and components must be submitted, in a completed form/assembly, to the office of the NASCAR Competition Administrator for consideration of approval and approved by NASCAR. Each such part may thereafter be used until NASCAR determines that such part is no longer eligible. All suspension fasteners and mounting hardware must be made of solid magnetic steel. All front end and rear end suspension mounts with mounting hardware assembled must have single round mounting holes that are the correct size for the fastener being used. All front end and rear end suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension component beyond normal rotation or suspension travel.)
Martin Truex Jr. The No. 56 car was found to have violated Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-12.8.1B (the car failed to meet the minimum front car heights during post-race inspection) of the 2013 rule book.
Ron Hornaday He was found to have violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing. Altercation with another competitor on the race track during a caution period) of the 2013 rule book.
By the way, here is what Brad Keselowski said last August regarding the rear end housing of the #48 and how Penske would never play in the gray area like that…
“There’s parts and pieces on the car that are moving after inspection that make the car more competitive. Some guys have it, some don’t. There’s a question to the interpretation of the rule. Penske Racing errs on the safe side because we don’t want to be the guys that get the big penalty.
Obviously there’s a question to the interpretation that as of right now it’s legal. But I’m sure that Roger doesn’t want to be the one caught red-handed. As a group at Penske Racing, we have not felt comfortable enough to risk that name and reputation that Roger has over those parts and pieces. Others have, which is their prerogative. I’m not going to slam them for it.
But it’s living in a gray area. Roger doesn’t do that. There’s certainly some performance there that we’ve lost. I shouldn’t say lost, but haven’t gained, because we choose not to do that. That’s something that we have to continue to evaluate every week that goes by, that those components are permitted to be run. We have to make a reevaluation of that internally to decide if that’s the right way to go.”
I agree with all of these penalties, even the Ron Hornaday one and think NASCAR did a good job handling all of this. With Penske appealing, that means the suspensions won’t take place until the appeal is heard. This will give them plenty of time to find replacements.