Why is Nascar not saying anything about Harvick's wheel?

Question

They say their isn't a rule, about cutting holes in the wheel. Although there is a rule banning bleeder valves, just not homemade bleeder valves. But how can you not call this cheating?

Here is the story:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/5976758

When will Nascar find it's balls and say modification of any stock part is a violation? And if there is no violation why would they tell a team not do do it again?

As far as comments from RCR, what would you expect them to say...Yeah, we did it?

Answer 1

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - NASCAR and team owner Richard Childress on Monday dismissed as "sheer fantasy" a television report that said race winner Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton had a performance advantage at New Hampshire International Speedway.

A Speed TV report Sunday said NASCAR inspectors had discovered that RCR teams had manipulated the rims on their Chevrolets to act as "bleeder valves" that slowly released air pressure in tires after the race. The practice is not technically illegal, and falls into a gray area of the rulebook that teams are supposed to respect.
The report left rival teams grumbling that Harvick may have cheated to win the first race in the Chase for the championship and take the points lead for the first time in his career.

"Those cars were completely legal, there was nothing wrong with either of them and the report stating otherwise is sheer fantasy and sensationalism journalism," NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said.

Childress branded the report "false and misleading." According to the story, NASCAR told the RCR teams it could not bring the modified rims back to the race track.

"Our cars passed post-race inspection and officials at NASCAR assured us last night and again today that no one from RCR was told at any time not to bring a part back to the race track," Childress said. "The reported events and conversations did not happen."

Speed defended the story by Bob Dillner, saying he has a "strong record of solid reporting from the NASCAR garage."

"So there is no rational reason for us to consider that the events and conversations he related to Speed viewers are anything other than the truth," said Chris Long, Speed's executive producer for NASCAR programming.

THERE WAS NO VIOLATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

Race winner Kevin Harvick and his teammate, Jeff Burton, did not have any problems in post race tech Sunday night at Loudon. Late Sunday night, it was reported that the Richard Childress Racing teams had manipulated their rims to act as a bleeder valve to release air pressure from the rim. According to NASCAR however, the issue of the rims never surfaced during post race tech. “We’ve been checking valves and valve stems for about 4 months now,” said Jim Hunter Vice President of Corporate Communications for NASCAR said Monday. “What it was, was one reporter trying to make something that wasn’t there. Then another reporter went on TV and reported it as fact, when it was actually totally untrue. It was one reporter’s unsubstantiated fantasy,”

Answer 3

TThey haven't made a rule against it yet but in a few weeks they will nascar cant do any thing to harvick because their is no rule but now that's its out they will do something to make sure that no one else can get away with it.A few years back Jeff Gordon and ray Evernham built a car that followed all the nascar rules but was called by most illegal not long after that nascar confiscated that car and changed the rule book. that's how nascar works.

Answer 4

I too am finding it weird that Nascar isn't saying anything about Harvick's and Burton's wheel situation. I knew that Kevin's team was doing something sneaky because I found it weird that they were able to make that turnaround so quickly and be better than the Hendrick cars and the Roush cars which have always been so dominating. IMO, Nascar doesn't want to sour anything that has to do with the great love story that is now the "Comback of Richard Childress Racing."

If you have noticed, every race they always talk about the comeback of RCR!

I figured that Kevin's team was cheating. That team has been caught cheating before and their doing it now.

Answer 5

You annoy me with your lack of respect for RCR, and Harvick, in particular.

Stop bringing this dead horse back to the defibulator to revive it. NASCAR has ruled that there is no violation.

You're just doing this to discredit what Harvick has done this season. Also, there are reports saying NOTHING happened. So stop wasting points on this boring and dead topic and let it dive...

Answer 6

I am glad to see someone other than Hendricks come up with a gray area advantage usually it's the 48 team they have gotten away with so much gray area crap in the past and never been penalized for it,they were finally caught this year at Daytona for a infraction that was in the rule book and were penalized.The 29 team has been caught & penalized before,but this latest incident is not covered in the rules so there is no reason for them to be penalized.

Answer 7

It's not cheating if there is no rule against it. A team works hard to find something to help the car and everyone calls it cheating. Give me a break. This isn't checkers, it's auto racing.

Answer 8

Probably someone up there is trying to help them.

Just make an analogy with another weird wheel situation, found in Formula 1, with Ferrari fitting strange frisbee-like wheel caps to the rear wheels. They are surely movable aerodynamic devices, but because the FIA and Ferrari are friends.... no action has been taken.

Answer 9

All I have to say is now we know why RCR and KHR have been running so well in Cup and Busch.

Answer 10

Because the CIA already has a handle on the situation.