48 Team caught cheating, again!

spdracer19 · Pick-um contest administrator

48 Team caught cheating, again!

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

Jimmy Johnson's crew chief Chad Knaus has been suspended. For details, click on the link below from Nascar.com:

http://aolsvc.sports.aol.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/02/13/jjohnson.knaus.suspension/index.html

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

From Jayski.com:

Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick today responded to NASCAR sanctions levied against crew chief Chad Knaus following Sunday's Daytona 500 post-qualifying inspection at Daytona International Speedway. "We understand NASCAR's position," Hendrick said. "Our expectations for the team remain high. It's a deep, championship-caliber group and they'll step up this weekend." Darian Grubb, lead engineer for the #24 and #48 Hendrick Motorsports teams, will immediately assume Knaus' at-track duties in preparation for the Feb. 19 Daytona 500. "It's obviously disappointing to miss the biggest race of the year, but I'm confident in Darian and the rest of my teammates," Knaus said. "There's been a lot of effort put into the Daytona 500 and I know the team will be successful with the support they'll receive from the entire organization."(Hendrick Motorsports PR)(2-13-2006)

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

From Jayski.com:

Johnson could had lost car to NASCAR: After his #48 Lowe's Chevrolet was disqualified after post Daytona 500 qualifying inspection there was a chance Jimmie Johnson was going to lose his primary car for the 500. However according to NASCAR's Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton; "We are not going to take the car. They'll be able to run that car. There are some things we need to work on when we get in the garage area Wednesday morning but the cars fine." Nextel Cup Series Director John Darby explains, "A lot of times you can hold an illegal part or piece in you hand. Then there's other situations where you use what is a very acceptable, very normal and very legal piece on the car and create a procedure that turns that part into something that it shouldn't do." Darby went on to explain what his inspectors found following pole qualifying. "Basically the pannard rod adjusting bolt had an additional clamp on it which enabled that adjusting rod to not only adjust the pannard bar but while the pannard bar was being adjusted it jacked the rear window up." The 48 team must now correct the illegal part for the car to be able to return to the track.(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(2-14-2006)

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

From Jayski.com:

More on the #48 infraction: A respected source in the garage area reports NASCAR officials had a little help discovering the ingenious manner of cheating which lead to the ejection of Chad Knauss from the remainder of the Daytona activities. To add salt to the wound inflicted on the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team, this source reports the finger pointing that led officials to the infraction came from within the Chevrolet camp.(CircleTrackPlus)(2-16-2006)

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

This should clarify things for everybody right Spd? (Yeah right!)

From Jayski.com:

Explanation of why no points penalty for #48: Examples:
Points penalty
Last March at Las Vegas, #29 crew chief Todd Berrier welded the fuel filler so it looked like it was full of fuel when it wasn't.
Two weeks ago at Daytona, the Hall of Fame Racing's #96 car qualified with an unapproved carburetor.
According to NASCAR, those two infractions warranted not only a fine but a reduction of 25 driver and owner points because the fuel filler and the carburetor were absolutely unapproved parts. NASCAR was able to walk over to the car and confiscate those pieces, and their use was premeditated. The pieces were specifically made to skirt NASCAR's rules.
No points penalty
Last fall during qualifying at Talladega, Berrier and the #29 team had some trap doors in the trunk that weren't properly sealed off. The shocks were open when they were supposed to be closed. And some hose clamp that holds the fuel-filler pipe in place came loose. The next thing you know, Kevin Harvick's car had air underneath the car, going up through the trunk and escaping out a hole in the back of the tail light. In that instance, no unapproved parts or pieces were used.
During Daytona 500 qualifying this year, crew chief Chad Knaus and the #48 team put a sleeve over the trackbar adjuster. Like the #29 car at Talladega last fall, all of those parts and pieces were still part of the car that they raced in the Daytona 500.
so....Points penalty: In simple terms, here's the pattern. If you maliciously put something on a car that's made or machined, and it's an unapproved piece that can be confiscated, the team will be fined, the crew chief will be suspended and the driver and owner will lose 25 points.
No points penalty: If you take something that's already on the car and use it to beat the spirit of the rule, then it warrants a suspension and a fine, but it does not warrant the loss of 25 driver and owner points. See Larry McReynolds full article at FoxSports.(2-23-2006)

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

Chad Knaus speaks, from Nascar.com:

http://aolsvc.sports.aol.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/02/21/jjohnson_cknaus/index.html