More COT penalties for DEI and HMS? Possible driver suspensions?

Question

France also said NASCAR is investigating reports that crew chiefs Chad Knaus, Steve Letarte and Tony Eury Jr. were at New Hampshire International Speedway last weekend despite their suspensions. All three are banned from the garage area during their suspensions, but the national television and radio broadcasts both reported the Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs were on track property and in communication with their drivers.

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/07/03/bfrance.teleconference/index.html

Answer 1

Rules are rules and rules are said to be broken. It's only when someone learns a way to bend the rules or get around them people begins to make excuses on both sides.
Common sense tells us it's wrong, although we have what seems to be a reasonable excuse to continue to break the rule.
Does NASCAR have to spell everything out? Black is black and white is white, follow the dotted lines and everything will be fine.
No communication means just that, the crew chiefs went beyond the boarder and continued to break NASCAR's rules. I say suspend the crew chiefs for the whole season who repeatingly breaks the rules AND suspend ALL the drivers of the owners of the teams those crew chiefs came from. Then from there, I bet the bending of rules stops cold.

Answer 2

It's ALWAYS been like that but everyone wants to crucify HMS. Nobody was crying when Tony Eury Jr was doing the same thing the last 6 weeks. Robbie Reiser and the Evernham crew chiefs did the same thing earlier in the year. NASCAR seems to be easily swayed by public opinion nowadays and Brian France doesn't have the respect or kahunas to make the tough decisions. The only areas they (suspended personnel) are not allowed are those that require a NASCAR license/credentials to access. I think the only areas that affects are the garage area and where the spotters stand. Also, radio communication at the track is the only form that is not allowed. You can text messages, email and communicate by cell phone if you want. It just seems like it's not that big of a deal if anyone else does it but when it's Hendrick Motorsports employees all of a sudden they need to change the way it's always been. It was even said that they CAN be in the infield in a motorcoach, just not in the pits or garage area. If NASCAR doesn't want them there they need to PUT IT IN THE RULE BOOK AND ELIMINATE THE GRAY AREAS. If not, they need to shut up about it already.

Answer 3

They were suspended from being in areas the "required a NASCAR license" which is the infield, garage area and the pits. If a crew chief parks his motor-home outside the track area and observes the race from there, then he is doing the same as any other fan.

With technology what it is, the suspended crew chiefs can still pass info from the shop to the track and they're not breaking NASCAR's suspension rules. Last year Knaus worked on their cars back in the shop, but never went to the tracks so he was never in violation of the suspension.

France and company don't like being outwitted in their own game, and if they keep it up, eventually NASCAR will become the next IROC.

The concept of the COT is to limit the number of cars, so if that's what NASCAR want's to do, then maybe they should just order the teams to only have only that amount of cars.

Answer 4

I really doubt that the drivers will be suspended, it would be instant death in the standings if the drivers were suspended for any length of time.

How can Nascar really monitor communications? They cant and they dont like it. The punishments have been served and those crew chiefs in question found a way to get around not being able to be in the garage area.

Officials can keep suspended team members out of the garage area, but may not be able to prevent them from entering the motorhome lot, the grandstands or the luxury suites.

Keeping them from communicating with the rest of the team, which can be done via telephone or computer, would also be difficult.

The issue is that Nascar is getting out foxed by their own rules.

Will there be more penalties? Perhaps Gordons crew chief because he is reported being in a team meeting (which I assume is a no no), however Johnsons and Dale Jr.'s crew chiefs more than likely will not be because they were not in the garage area.

Answer 5

I don't understand why they should! Last year at the beginning of the season Chad Knaus said that he had been doing the same thing and nothing was ever said. It's only when DEI does it that it becomes a new rule.

Just another reason why they should publish a rule book. So there are no made up rules. Making up rules causes fans to throw beer cans on the track.

Besides Nascar.com had an article stating that they were banned from the garage and the pits. It was never made clear that they were banned from the premises. Bill (the idiot) France is just mad because his stupidity has once again been out smarted. The crew chiefs were not suppose to have radio contact. They used cell phones and computers.

This reminds me of the kid you never wanted to play with as a child. Nobody liked him so he lived in his own world.

Answer 6

Sounds to me like Eury Jr. was in fact at the track on a trailer watching like a Fan; which is well within the limits of the suspension.

As for LaTarte and Knaus attending Team meetings. It did not say where these Team meetings where taking place. As long as it was not in the garage area, there is nothing they have done wrong.

NASCAR has launched an investigation and until that investigation is complete I am not throwing any stones at anyone.

Answer 7

Robin Pemberton in an interview before Sundays race was asked to clarify what a crew chief could and could not do under suspension. He said that a suspended crew chief could not be any place you would need nascar credentials to be, such as the pits, garage and pit stand. Although the could buy a ticket and be in the stands or anywhere else a fan could be but no RADIO contact so by being out side the track in their motor home is not a violation.


Mr. France... GO POUND SAND!!!!!

Answer 8

Once again this is a grey area.
The chiefs call the team,dine with various team members and can "buy" tickets to the race.So they do a pit tour and talk to the team or happen to call them.Legal any fan can do it.
This is not the first time as there was a Busch crew chief sat in the stands with a radio and talked to the acting crew chief during the race.
Were these "suspended" chiefs there I can only go by reports in newspapers and on the electronic media.And by their accounts the chiefs were there on speedway propery.

Answer 9

France is right, you can't let people walk on you!
Suspend the drivers for a few races and the crew leaders for the season...

Next, suspend the fans from coming to the races?

This is stupidity. If Frances wanted a suspension from the team all together, he should of said that. That was his fault, not the crew chief's, drivers, team or owner's.

Two thumbs down for Frances!

Answer 10

The only way NASCAR will stop the cheathng is to PARK the car for two or three races. When cry babies, Jeff & jimmy are taken out of the compition and know they can't make even the chase, Thing's will change. That goes for every body. In case some of you are to young to remember. Gary Nelson was one of the more prolific grey area crew chief's and where did he wind up? I would like to see Knaus suspended for the rest of the year and be told ,The next time will be the last time. The knowledge that you will be banned or life is a wake up call for anybody. When a driver or crew chief is caught cheating ,the driver and owner should lose 300 pt's.+all point's won in that race. If a driver know's he is going to be knocked out of the chase because of the crew chief's action's , he will take care of business.