Really NASCAR?

I really didn't get as angry as I thought I would when I read about the penalties handed down by NASCAR to Brad, Joey, Martin, from the Texas NRA 500 or as to the penalty Ron Hornaday received for his actions Sunday. Seems all penalties are covered by the catch-all rule "actions detrimental to stock car racing" or to NASCAR, or to whatever or whomever. It now is no surprise to me why Brian was so accepting of Brad's remarks. He figures "why incur more wrath trying to censure a driver for what he says when I can burn him on another technicality?". Guess he caught enough flak over that Denny Hamlin fine which I still oppose vehemently.

My thoughts are this:

If a part is illegal, then I have a problem with that because I'm not into cheating although it has been a part of racing since the beginning. I know all the catch phrases like "it's not cheating unless you're caught" or "cheat neat" or such subjective justifications as "cheat on 50 things and if NASCAR catches 40 of them, you're still 10 to the good". I would like to think I stand for something that would teach my grandsons that cheating is not the way to win. Oh sure, Smokey called it "innovations" and it was through his innovations that much progress was made in the stock car racing world.

However, as I understand the Penske situation, the rear ends parts weren't "approved by NASCAR". Ok, so Penske shouldn't have used those parts until they were approved IF they were ever approved. But I think the dog and pony show of "finding" the offending part an hour before the race was grandstanding B.S. Maybe something to take the focus off the problems they were having with NRA sponsorhsip of the race. Further, I think taking 25 points from Joey and Brad for something I doubt they even knew about is unfair. But, then again, how often is NASCAR fair in their arbitrary enforcement of rules written in pencil and disappearing ink?

As for Martin Truex, I understand the fine was for being too low in front after the race. This topic is often discussed as to a car changing height during a race and it would appear to me, the uneducated, unindoctrinated fan, that the Texas track was rough enough to have possibly contributed to that.

Ron Hornaday. Wow. In spite of his "heartfelt" apology to Bubba Wallace on television after the event, he did the same thing to Wallace that Kyle Busch did to Ron at Texas and Kyle was parked for the weekend. What Kyle did in Texas to Ron was the same thing undeniably. Kyle missed the Nationwide and Cup race that weekend as NASCAR parked him. Ron is fined and loses points, Kyle was parked. I'm sort of lost in that equation but I'm sure there is someone within the NASCAR organization who could explain it to me after a few drinks (and I don't drink).

I have also had it with this NASCAR "probation". Exactly what does that mean? Over the years that it has been used, I have seen the person on probation committ follow up offenses (according to NASCAR's playbook) with no consequences.

NASCAR is my sport. I've supported it for more than 61 years. I know it's not perfect, but is there any problem with striving for excellence? They may never achieve excellence, and certainly the way they are going it is getting further and further away as a goal. There just seems to be no clear path NASCAR follows. It is whatever suits the management on any given day.

The Hendrick orangization appealed a ruling when was it, last year, and won. I hope Penske has the same result with its appeal.

WOW TIM!!!! I agree with you in everything you said. LOL

Roll over again Big BILL.

Well put, Tommie. Thanks for the summation, Tim.

My two cents on the Hornaday deal. While it was definitely an overreaction, some would see it as something that was coming, given Wallace's comments after the race, where it sounded like he felt he did no wrong in using Ron up. Whereas in Kyle's case, he took out an end of season championship contender, that too while racing in a lower series for fun.

Tommie, thank you! You are such a great friend, it pleases me when we agree. Hope all is well with you and yours.

Sandeep, you have a very valid point in what you say. I appreciate you commenting.

My deal is that I believe there is no room, anywhere, nor excuse, for wrecking someone under the caution. Bad enough to intentionally do it any time but under caution just rubs me the wrong way. When I was racing, I had that happen to me and I was wrecked because the guy was trying to get to the guy who actually spun him out. I didn't appreciate having my car banged up like that. But my main issue here is the always uncertainty of NASCAR when enforcing their moving target rules.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world!

Am I missing something? They were inspected and then ran the race. Inspected after the race and then were fined? Great article Legend Tim.

Thanks Tim, all is good. Hope the sun is shining down on you in Columbia as usual! I can definitely see where you're coming from, with your experience of getting caught up in someone else's payback. I don't condone it either and would rather see them settle it in person, if only their crews would let them.

I have noticed that Shrub is on the entry list for this weekend's truck race at Kansas. Things could get interesting, again.

maybe nascar is trying to ensure that penkse doesnt win another title so mr h can continue to be on top

JAck, I don't think YOU missed anything. I think NASCAR wishes that all of us WOULD miss the smoke and mirror shows they put on from time to time.

Charles, you could be very right. It is my opinion, obviously worth nothing, that if the DRIVER breaks the ever changing rules, then the driver should be docked the points. If the OWNER breaks the rules, then the owner's points should be docked. For NASCAR to hit Logano and Keselowski with a 25 point penalty when THEY are the ones putting their lives on the line for NASCAR is shear stupidity. But, again, that's just my opinion.

Thank you both for reading and commenting.

A little off of the subject, but checkout the "Chase" races and the new NFL schedule.

Hummm, it is going to be interesting. A few races in the same hometown as the

home team's schedule. Maybe your next "Legendatorial" Tim.

That is interesting Jack. That may indeed be the Legendtorial subject. Brian kissed the NFL's butt with moving the Daytona 500 so the NFL has no fear of what NASCAR can or might do. Lesson well learned. Didn't we learn about appeasement back in the 1930s? Didn't work then either did it?

Johnson denies Penske penalties involvement

April 19, 2013, Kenny Bruce, NASCAR.com

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Jimmie Johnson said no one from his No. 48 team or the rest of the Hendrick Motorsports organization approached NASCAR officials to rat out Penske Racing last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

The Sprint Cup Series cars of drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano passed pre-race inspection only after changing the rear end housings on both Ford entries, a move that initially delayed their appearance on pit road and eventually led to stiff sanctions.

Four days after the race, on April 16, NASCAR levied deductions of 25 driver and owner points for each of the two teams, fines totaling $200,000 and penalties that could see crew chiefs and other personnel suspended for six races for the unapproved suspension pieces.

"In no way shape or form did anybody from the 48 car walk in that (NASCAR) truck and say anything. "

The best officiating in the garage area has always been your neighbor, said Johnson, a five-time Cup champion. Thats just been part of NASCAR for years and years and why NASCAR has the procedures in place that they do.

Everybody has people watching and weve been very impressed with the 2 cars staff and their ability to have somebody just stand and watch other teams. So this environment does take place in the garage area. So yeah, there are eyes open.

Teams have two options when they see another team going in a questionable direction, he said.

One, they go home and try to adapt (what theyve seen) to their car and see if they can make it work, he said. Or they go on the (NASCAR) truck and say something.

We dont say something. Were a company built on performance; were a company that tries to understand the rulebook as close as we can to the law. Sure weve had our issues with it but thats racing. Its been that way since day one.

We go in there and we try to be as smart as we can, we conform to the rules and put the best race car on the track.

Keselowski, the defending series champion, had broached the subject of teams altering rear-end setups last summer, a move that allows the back end of the cars to skew, and thus get more air to the rear spoiler when under power. At that time, he didnt specifically name Hendrick teams, but noted that there were parts and pieces on the car that are moving after inspection that makes the cars more competitive.

Penske teams, Keselowski added, errs on the safe side because we dont want to be the guys that get the big penalty.

Johnson, the points leader heading into the April 21 STP 400 at Kansas Speedway said everybody is watching and everybody is looking.

But in no way shape or form did anybody from the 48 car walk in that truck and say anything.

I dunno.........last year at Indy, Brad was all over the radio about Jimmie Johnson's rear end "moving". NASCAR, eventually disallowed the trick suspensions although later than sooner. While failing to initially make a call on the Johnson situation, the entire subject was declared off limits. The persistence of the Penske team in this forbidden zone does give credibility to NASCAR's current ruling.

Web site called "Pit Grit" which posts racing news every day, although I only read it once a month or so, says in a headline today that "Petty says Penske Turned In". I couldn't get the link to open on my old computer but just thought that was interesting. I also think it is very strange that Jimmie Johnson would go to such lengths to deny that Penske was "turned in" by anyone on the 48 team. That just shocks me. Oh, well, that's the way it is.

They were targeted. I am interested to hear Brad K's full take when he said the whole week in the garage had been hell. It is also no coincidence that their cars were parked next to Hendrick cars in the garage. Maybe it was Tony Stewart who ratted them out considering he wanted to "teach Joey a lesson"

Robbie, NASCAR has NO rules except the rules which will allow further deposits to NASCAR bank accounts.

Christopher, that is a very good comment. Tony would have probable cause, huh? But I have real problems with cars pass two (some say) or three (others say) inspections, then less than an hour before starting time the Penske cars are caught "cheating". What's the old saying? "Something's rotten in Denmark"? Well this time it was in Texas.

I also have problems with the Truex "too low in the front after the race". That is such a nonsensical call.

Everytime I defend NASCAR to the non-fans, and every time I go to bat for NASCAR, they pull one of their stupid tricks and I get these calls or e-mails from the non-fans asking me questions about how the organization is run. I think I'm running out of answers so I'll just start referring them to the WWE management, or whatever the current organization is currently running "professional" wrestling.

Yeah how can a car be modified right after inspection. No one can touch the cars at that point right?

I want to like watching NASCAR again but after the Texas race, I just cannot watch it this weekend. I rather watch ALMS. I keep trying to tell my friends it is not that Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson wins races. It is not who is winning that is upsetting me, it is the fake yellows, NASCAR's inconsistencies, its favortism that I am suspecting, its politics, its tyranny, a driver cannot say something without fear of getting fined, NASCAR bumbling like what they did with Carl Edwards.

I am willing to bet that the Penske teams had changed so many things on their cars all week. I am sure they were told things were legal and then NASCAR changed its decisions so many times to mess with them.

I always go back to Bud Moore's answer when asked why it cost him so much more money to field NASCAR Grand National cars than SCCA TransAm cars.

"Cheating is EXPENSIVE!"

WAIT! Am I missing something! Why did they cover up the rear of Jeff Gordon's car after crashing in practice at Kansas?

Are they covering-up a new rear set-up after inspection?

That is a very interesting question JAck. I did not see the practice but I did see the crash. Didn't know they covered it up but that does beg the question "why"?

I love Jimmie's comment "no way, shape, or form did anyone from the 48 team walk into that truck and say anything". Sort of specific, don't you think. Check NASCAR's text message records. Besides, who said they had to "walk into that truck". There is always the water cooler!

I thought the same ting, Bobby. It sounds (on the surface) like Penske got caught for the exact same thing as their complaints about Johnson. If in fact it was the same thing, it is certainly interesting they tried to get it by NASCAR. I would rather have seen them caught for some sort of "original" cheat...rather than a "copycat" cheat....lol.

what happened to run what you bring---- just has to meet safety rules or am i to old for this sport