You think Hendrick teams don't have Brian France in their pocket?

[VMS]

Alright everyone.. Gordon is not fined for his shock issue, or maybe better yet equipment not meeting specifications, but yet here it is... Follow the link:

http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/10/18/kbusch.penalties/index.html

I don't care how you look at it, the golden boys of hendrick get treated differently than the rest... This is just one example.

Steve

[PierBridge]

Quote:

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Alright everyone.. Gordon is not fined for his shock issue, or maybe better yet equipment not meeting specifications, but yet here it is... Follow the link:

http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/10/18/kbusch.penalties/index.html

I don't care how you look at it, the golden boys of hendrick get treated differently than the rest... This is just one example.

Steve

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When your the best one would expect favors from Nascar like this.....wink... wink....

[lawdog]

You seriously need to get a clue. That was a shock designed to not compress, this was a bolt and a washer put in the wrong way creating a safety hazzard. Robin Pemberton flat out said he as competition director (and a well known crew chief and often caught cheater) doubted it would even improve performance but regardless had no doubt it wasn't accidental because it wasn't even safe the way it was incorrectly bolted on. Do you really think they are going to risk injury with an unsafe setup to gain a minimal or maybe no advantage? Get a clue!!!

[HOF#13]

I don't have any issues with the lack of punishment here at all. More than likely Gordon and his team were not trying to gain an advantage. The one thing I wonder about is....the cars are gone over with a fine tooth comb, and are meticulously built, checked and rechecked. The crew that built this car have probably built over 100 cupcars. I simply find it odd, that in today's NASCAR where every bolt, nut, and wire is checked, they had no clue that someone had bolted on a shock wrong???? I know people are human and make mistakes, but.....

[PierBridge]

He know's that he's just trying to stir things up, it is Super Bowl week ya know!

[Uncle Bill]

Quote:

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I simply find it odd, that in today's NASCAR where every bolt, nut, and wire is checked, they had no clue that someone had bolted on a shock wrong???? I know people are human and make mistakes, but.....

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That right there, is good, clear, rational thinking.

[eyepatrol]

Here's what I can't figure out.....these cars are meticulously inspected before qualifying and before races. Why the heck aren't the inspectors finding these things before the race????? Souldn't the inspectors have noticed that Gordon's car was 1" too low BEFORE the race started????

Or am I missing something here. Was it not low until after the race? If so, how did it lower 1" after the race?

I'm not a mechanics guy by any means, so I have more questions than answers.

[PERCHJR]

Oh come on here Wonderboy cheating never, wait he does drive for Hendrick so it is possible!!! I just find it hard to believe like alot of other guys have said that nobody noticed this when they were building the car, and 1" is a hell of alot in NASCAR!!! Of course this is just my opinion!!!

Perchjr

[VMS]

Quote:

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You seriously need to get a clue. That was a shock designed to not compress, this was a bolt and a washer put in the wrong way creating a safety hazzard. Robin Pemberton flat out said he as competition director (and a well known crew chief and often caught cheater) doubted it would even improve performance but regardless had no doubt it wasn't accidental because it wasn't even safe the way it was incorrectly bolted on. Do you really think they are going to risk injury with an unsafe setup to gain a minimal or maybe no advantage? Get a clue!!!

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Yep..I'm off my rocker..

http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/05/17/djarrett.slabbe.reaction.suspension/index.html

Explain this one then...

[Macgyver55]

Quote:

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............. but regardless had no doubt it wasn't accidental because it wasn't even safe the way it was incorrectly bolted on. Do you really think they are going to risk injury with an unsafe setup to gain a minimal or maybe no advantage? Get a clue!!!

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Judging from your statement, here is the clue I got out of it....

If "there is no doubt it wasn't accidental", then it could only have been done on purpose. That being the case, then yes, I would have to believe they were willing to risk injury with an unsafe setup to gain a minimal advantage. Also, if it was done intentionally one could only assume that they had a reason to do it. One could also only assume that they were looking for a competitive edge (why would anyone do it otherwise) and therefore should be penalized accordingly for breaking a rule.

After all that said, I believe that it may have been accidental, but you may need to brush up on your grammar in case you are ever under oath.

[PierBridge]

All morning googling and that's all you guy's can come up with, come on there must be at least one quote from one of your Nascar drivers whining about a double standard.

I'll see if I can dig sumtin up for U guys.

Good job VMS great thread...

[VMS]

Thanks Pier... I am not trying to bash the hendrick crowd...er..o.k...maybe I am stirring the pot a bit here too. Some in fun, but I also think there is enough evidence to show they get a few favors over the others.

This to me is a play on last year's issue with Johnson... Stay with the parts normally used, but somehow "jury rig" them to give a distinct aero advantage, but yet no penalty points handed out.

Last year, Johnson didn't have any points, so they said there is nothing to take...Oh but wait...now it's a new year..we'll take points and fine the others (even though they don't have any) who drilled out their back screws to save what....a few ounces which is not any aero advantage and a practice that had been done for YEARS and allowed. But yet here we are...a distinct advantage AGAIN for a hendrick camp and Oh LOOOOOOK.. no points taken, no fine, and somehow it makes it through inspection that the bolt and nut were put on wrong somehow in a job that is SO ROUTINE YOU CANNOT SCREW IT UP AT ALL BECAUSE IT IS YOUR JOB TO MAKE SURE IT IS RIGHT...

I don't buy it being an accident.

[harvey lee]

Lets not turn this post into a name calling deal. Sifty is out of town. Lets have our fun and not upset the masses please.

We can discuss how legal or not, or if there was intention on the part of the 24 team to beat the rules. Thats what we can talk about , but lets stay away from degrading another because of what they believe.

Now, back to Gordon.

[PierBridge]

Quote:

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but I also think there is enough evidence to show they get a few favors over the others.

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I think we agree on that but not in this incident of course I could mention a few others teams also that might get the benefit of the doubt here and there......Ok I will DEI.

Let's just hope they are consistent from here on out..

Sorry Harvey.....good call...

[EDT]

Actually the holes in the the spoiler bolts on the Evernham cars were put there to allow air to escape through the decklid, not to save weight.

Gordon's car was ok before the race. They suspect that it dropped when he hit a bump during the race. Whether it was set up to do that or not, I don't know. I do know that on that last lap of the shootout his car was a heck of a lot faster than anyone else's...

Either way, I think the team should be penalized more. Intentional or not is a tough thing to decide. When you ask a team whether their setup was intentionally illegal, they always say no. Be it a bump causing things to shift, or simply a piece of tape blowing off...

[EDT]

If you're lookin' for quotes:

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Sadler: Gordon should've been stripped of victory

SCENEDAILY - 1:41PM ET FRIDAY FEBRUARY 16, 2007 - BY LEE MONTGOMERY - ASSOCIATE EDITOR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Evernham Motorsports driver Elliott Sadler said Friday at Daytona International Speedway that Jeff Gordon should have been stripped of his victory in the second Gatorade Duel qualifying race after Gordon's No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet failed postrace inspection.

Gordon's car was about an inch below minimum height requirements, but NASCAR officials said the car was too low because of a misaligned shock absorber mounting bolt, and they considered the error unintentional.

"I just think if you're low, you're low," Sadler said. "That's what they have postrace inspection for, and if you fail, you fail. The win should be taken from you."

Sadler, whose team director, Josh Browne, was suspended for two races after illegal mounting bolts were found on his No. 19 Evernham Motorsports Dodge in prequalifying inspection for the Daytona 500, was "surprised" NASCAR let the victory stand.

"If you don't pass postrace inspection, you don't get whatever position you finished in," Sadler said. "That's why you have postrace inspection. That's the purpose of it."

Sadler found Gordon's infraction "funny."

"It's just funny that they were low on a track that [being] low helps," Sadler said. "I'm willing to bet any of y'all any kind of money y'all want to bet that they won't be low at a downforce racetrack where you want to be high. ... It's just weird how it all worked out like that yesterday."

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[lawdog]

Quote:

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Quote:

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............. but regardless had no doubt it wasn't accidental because it wasn't even safe the way it was incorrectly bolted on. Do you really think they are going to risk injury with an unsafe setup to gain a minimal or maybe no advantage? Get a clue!!!

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Judging from your statement, here is the clue I got out of it....

If "there is no doubt it wasn't accidental", then it could only have been done on purpose. That being the case, then yes, I would have to believe they were willing to risk injury with an unsafe setup to gain a minimal advantage.

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Well obviously that was a typo it WAS ACCIDENTAL was what Pemberton was saying. That should be an obvious typo given the context of the statement he made...

[EDT]

What NASCAR has to say:

Quote:

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NASCAR convinced Gordon violation 'unintentional'

SCENEDAILY - 09:53AM ET FRIDAY FEBRUARY 16, 2007 - BY REA WHITE - ASSOCIATE EDITOR

DAVID GRIFFIN / NASCAR SCENEDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - NASCAR officials didn't take Jeff Gordon's shock problem that was discovered in postrace inspection lightly, but they say they were certain that the infraction found after he won his Gatorade Duel race Thursday was unintentional.

"I am 100 percent sure that this was unintentional, and I believe that because of my own experiences through the years, and I would think that it would have to take a different set of machined parts or pieces if you would attempt to do something intentional to make it work in this fashion," NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said.

Gordon's Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet had a shock fastener installed during inspection in which the bolt and the mount were misaligned. The bolt slowly worked its way down in the bracket, causing the car to drop about an inch. Pemberton said that not only was he certain that it would not have helped the team gain more than a marginal competitive advantage and would, in fact, have actually been a safety concern.

Therefore, NASCAR decided to penalize Gordon by forcing him to drop to the 42nd position in the field in Sunday's Daytona 500, one spot ahead of the slot reserved for the past champion's provisional. NASCAR did not take away his win away from the qualifying race.

NASCAR officials actually watch teams install the shocks prior to a race, so it would be difficult to intentionally cheat in that area. And the car's reaction to the bolt would probably have been pretty uncomfortable for Gordon.

"With the bolt being loose like that and the shocks as important as they are on the race car, I'm sure it didn't drive better the way it finished the race then it would have if the shocks were on there correctly," Pemberton said.

Still, NASCAR had to penalize the team in some fashion for failing to pass inspection, so it placed Gordon at the back of the field. If the infraction had been found following a qualifying session, Pemberton said the penalty would have been that Gordon's time would have been disallowed.

Pemberton added that he didn't think there was an inspection issue since the problem developed under NASCAR's watchful eye as the part was being placed on the car, and that the sanctioning body remained confident in its inspectors.

"You have to remember, if it was something that was done intentionally, we would be more concerned about it," he said. "To have something installed that was misaligned that had this result, it was a mistake that was made, and the mechanics are responsible to make sure their cars are properly assembled for their drivers and the way they need to have them driving the race track. We're confident that our inspectors are inspecting properly, and that this is just a mistake that was made by a mechanic."

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[lawdog]

EDT don't bother confusing those jealous of the Hendrick machine with facts. They really aren't interested...

[PierBridge]

I knew you could do it....I actually found that statement earlier today.....

Keep comparing apples to oranges it makes the day go quicker.

Oh you can have the Duel win back if it makes you feel better were about Daytona 500 Wins and Nascar Championships.

Elliot Sadler....ROTLMAO>>>>

[EDT]

I think I've been presenting both sides...

Just one more, from Jeff Burton this time: (I get this RSS feed, if you don't have an RSS reader consider getting one, it's the best way to get up to the minute news on NASCAR)

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Burton studies part, makes own decision on penalty

SCENEDAILY - 2:14PM ET FRIDAY FEBRUARY 16, 2007 - BY REA WHITE - ASSOCIATE EDITOR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Jeff Burton certainly wouldn't be in the business of defending people unnecessarily, but after personally inspecting the part from Jeff Gordon's Gatorade Duel car, he thinks the penalty fit the crime.

Gordon's car was found to have a quarterpanel that was about an inch too low following Thursday night's qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR studied the part and found that a bolt had been misaligned when it was inserted. The sanctioning body deemed that the violation was unintentional and penalized Gordon by moving him from the fourth starting spot in Sunday's Daytona 500 that he gained by winning the Duel to the 42nd starting spot.

Burton, a self-described proponent of large penalties, went to the NASCAR truck on Friday morning to inspect the part himself. He was looking for any signs that it had been intentionally altered but didn't find any.

"I was concerned about that this morning, " Burton said. "The part was confiscated, so I went and looked at the part, and it's my opinion that what happened with the 24 car was a screwup, and I'm also of the opinion that probably, on the race track, there was not much performance gain because on the race track the car is different than in the height sticks ... The question is, what should the penalty be,? Mistake or not, it has to be a penalty. My concern was the penalty wasn't steep enough in relation to the other penalties."

After studying the part, Burton decided the penalty was correct.

"As seen by me, I think the penalty fit the crime," the Richard Childress Racing driver said

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[eyepatrol]

That's what I like about Burton. He doesn't make comment until he has a chance to see it for himself. Sadler on the other hand doesn't seem to have gone to take a look for himself. He was more than likely venting due to his situation. "If I must suffer, then everyone should"....that type of thinking.

Bottom line is....none of us have a pot to pee in unless we are actually there to see it for ourselves, and are knowlegable about such things. Hence why some of my comments come out my hind-end because my mouth knows better.

[JohnMickish]

NASCAR said this was a dangerous situation on the car so why would a guy intentionally run it?

Strip the win? Big deal, it dosen't count for anything anyways.

If you guys all want to strip a win for being low there would have been alot of stripped wins over the last few years. I'd be willing to bet that even YOUR favorite driver would have had a win taken away.

Funny how us experts can condem a driver, crew and owner without ever personally seeing the part or having any first hand knowledge of this particular assembly.

The car passed pre race tech, right?

A frequent poster here has said in the past and now I get to use it.

"Get over it, it's done."