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Sprint Cup
CUP: Infractions Cost Bowyer 150 Points
Clint Bowyer dropped from second to 12th in NASCAR Sprint Cup points with Wednesday's 150-point penalty...
Clint Bowyer ran well throughout Daytona Speedweeks. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup competition was rocked Wednesday when the sanctioning body announced severe penalties for driver Clint Bowyer – winner of the first Chase race at New Hampshire – and the Richard Childress Racing team.
NASCAR said the No. 33 Chevrolet Bowyer drove to victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sunday did not meet NASCAR body-chassis specifications. The infractions were discovered Tuesday as officials inspected the car at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C.
Although Bowyer was allowed to keep the Loudon victory, his first in 89 races, he and team owner Richard Childress were fined 150 championship points, a penalty that dropped Bowyer from second in the Chase standings to 12th (last in the Chase group).
Additionally, team crew chief Shane Wilson, who notched his first Sprint Cup win with the Loudon victory, was fined $150,000, suspended from NASCAR competition for the next six races and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Team car chief Chad Haney also was suspended for six events and placed on probation until Dec. 31.
Neither NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton or Sprint Cup Series director John Darby would be specific about the violations in a Wednesday afternoon teleconference, but it appears that the way the car body was placed on the chassis was the major problem.
“It revolves around how the body of the car is located on the frame on three coordinates,” Darby said. “Our teams do have the ability to proceed with an appeal, so to really get into some of the actual specific measurements of the car wouldn’t be fair to NASCAR or the team.”
There was no indication Wednesday if RCR will appeal the penalties.
Darby said the infractions were discovered in post-race inspection Tuesday and not in pre-race inspection at the track because of “two different styles of inspection,” indicating that the R&D Center inspections are significantly tougher.
Asked if the infractions would have given Bowyer and his team a competitive edge, Pemberton said, “I don’t think that’s for us to decide. We’re into the rules and regulations part. The car didn’t meet specifications, and that’s the bottom line.”
Last week, after Bowyer had become the 12th and final driver to qualify for the Chase, NASCAR informed RCR officials that Bowyer’s Richmond car was very close to failing post-race inspection. Pemberton said the problems with the team’s Loudon car “were in the same area of the car and the body measurements.”
The 150-point penalty will make Bowyer’s road to the championship very difficult. Pemberton called the penalty appropriate.
“At some point in time you’ll see it [the penalty number] continue to rise, and you may even see it be more than what you could gain by starting a race,” he said. “It could get into the 200-point category. We’ll get there sooner or later.”
NASCAR also announced Wednesday that driver Michael McDowell, team owner Dusty Whitney and crew chief Jeremy Lafaver of the No. 46 Cup team have been penalized for using engine exhaust valves that didn’t meet regulations.
Lafaver was fined $50,000 and suspended form the next six Cup races. McDowell and Whitney were fined 50 points each.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
NASCAR said the No. 33 Chevrolet Bowyer drove to victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sunday did not meet NASCAR body-chassis specifications. The infractions were discovered Tuesday as officials inspected the car at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C.
Although Bowyer was allowed to keep the Loudon victory, his first in 89 races, he and team owner Richard Childress were fined 150 championship points, a penalty that dropped Bowyer from second in the Chase standings to 12th (last in the Chase group).
Additionally, team crew chief Shane Wilson, who notched his first Sprint Cup win with the Loudon victory, was fined $150,000, suspended from NASCAR competition for the next six races and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Team car chief Chad Haney also was suspended for six events and placed on probation until Dec. 31.
Neither NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton or Sprint Cup Series director John Darby would be specific about the violations in a Wednesday afternoon teleconference, but it appears that the way the car body was placed on the chassis was the major problem.
“It revolves around how the body of the car is located on the frame on three coordinates,” Darby said. “Our teams do have the ability to proceed with an appeal, so to really get into some of the actual specific measurements of the car wouldn’t be fair to NASCAR or the team.”
There was no indication Wednesday if RCR will appeal the penalties.
Darby said the infractions were discovered in post-race inspection Tuesday and not in pre-race inspection at the track because of “two different styles of inspection,” indicating that the R&D Center inspections are significantly tougher.
Asked if the infractions would have given Bowyer and his team a competitive edge, Pemberton said, “I don’t think that’s for us to decide. We’re into the rules and regulations part. The car didn’t meet specifications, and that’s the bottom line.”
Last week, after Bowyer had become the 12th and final driver to qualify for the Chase, NASCAR informed RCR officials that Bowyer’s Richmond car was very close to failing post-race inspection. Pemberton said the problems with the team’s Loudon car “were in the same area of the car and the body measurements.”
The 150-point penalty will make Bowyer’s road to the championship very difficult. Pemberton called the penalty appropriate.
“At some point in time you’ll see it [the penalty number] continue to rise, and you may even see it be more than what you could gain by starting a race,” he said. “It could get into the 200-point category. We’ll get there sooner or later.”
NASCAR also announced Wednesday that driver Michael McDowell, team owner Dusty Whitney and crew chief Jeremy Lafaver of the No. 46 Cup team have been penalized for using engine exhaust valves that didn’t meet regulations.
Lafaver was fined $50,000 and suspended form the next six Cup races. McDowell and Whitney were fined 50 points each.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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