WHY DOES NASCAR TOLERATE CHEATING?
by Bob Acton of
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If you asked me three years ago to name the top three NASCARdrivers in the world, I would have waived the white flag as Iwould probably have said A.J. Foyt. Ask me today who the top tendrivers were in the NEXTEL Cup standings last year and I can doit in thirty seconds. Please don’t tell me I’m getting old andI’m becoming a racing fan!
What I do like and respect is sound and aggressive marketingand NASCAR is at the top of the standings when it comes to makingtheir product visible. The other thing that is amazing unlikeother professional sports is the fact that drivers and crew chiefsare constantly doing whatever it takes to win and that includesillegal modifications to their cars and interfering with otherdrivers on the track.
Case in point is last weeks Daytona where Hendrick Motorsportsteam crew chief Chad Knaus was banished from the track for tinkeringwith the car 48 which is Jimmie Johnson’s. Did they remove thecar from the big race, or suspend Johnson? Not a chance, theysimply told Knauss to watch the race on the television and cheeron his driver to victory.
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Moments after the victory, Johnson's criticswere already wondering if he deserved an asterisk next to hisname. Knaus was thrown out last week after NASCAR said he illegallyaltered Johnson's Chevrolet before his qualifying run.
"This could still be the first opportunity forNASCAR to pull away a victory if the thing is illegal," third-placefinisher Ryan Newman said. "It's disappointing. I think a lotof Jimmie Johnson and his talent, but I'm pretty sure at leastthree of his last four wins have had conflictions with the carsbeing illegal.
"You know, it's not necessarily good for thesport." His car did pass inspection, and with a bottle of champagneon his lap, Johnson defended his team and his win.
"This is a huge statement and something thatI'm very proud of," he said. "We know that there are rules, aset of rules. Chad broke the rules. He's admitted that. He's inCharlotte watching the race. He missed the event. We're servingour penalty."
There's probably more to come. Johnson has indicatedthe team expects NASCAR to suspend Knaus an additional three races.The team will probably also be docked points, knocking Johnsonoff the leaderboard. The team has a history of misdeeds and questionableconduct.
NASCAR accused Knaus of cheating following Johnson'swin in Las Vegas, Nev., last March when his car failed post-raceinspection and Knaus was suspended for two races, but appealedand had the penalty reduced to probation.
Then, following a win in September at Dover,Del., the No. 48 Chevrolet again failed inspection. Only thistime NASCAR said Knaus had exploited a loophole in the rule book,and the sanctioning body quickly closed it.
So with Knaus out of commission for the foreseeablefuture and lead engineer Darian Grubb acting as temporary headcoach, the Hendrick Motorsports team will try to work its wayout from the dark shadow the crew chief's actions have cast onthem.
"There's been a lot of hating on the 48 teamover the last year," Johnson said. "I kind of look at it as jealousyand (Ryan Newman) don’t have a crew chief in there working hardenough to get the job done."
No what he really meant was smart enough to cheatand get away with it!
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