NASCAR Rule Enforcement

[Ron61]

I have just been over on the NASCAR site and if I read it right they sure have different rule enforcement for the same things. Robby Gordon was docked 100 points, his crew chief fined $100K and suspended for 6 races because they brought a car with a nose on it that NASCAR hasn't approved yet. But they never ran that car as they changedto the approved nose BEFORE they even qualified. Over in the Truck Series, Bodine had some rules infractions, one of which was lowering the bed height to gain speed and he ran the race and won. So they docked him25 points and fined his crew chief $10K.
If, and that is a big IF, I read this right, one guy gets really nailed for something that he did before the qualifying and had a legal car for qualifying and the race. Another qualifies and runs his truck in the race and wins and gets a slap on the wrist. I must have missed something as this is just way far off even for NASCAR and their inconsistent rule enforcing.

Ron

[Bonos]

Ron,
The penalty given Gordon is the same that was given last year to Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson when their teams did work on their front fenders before qualifing.

Bonos

[Ron61]

Bonos,

I know that but why wasn't the same penalty given in the truck series as NASCAR continually harps about the way they enforce the penalties equally. And the truck not only ran the race but won, so they should have penalized him the same amount per their own statements.

Ron

[Joe Wicked]

Last November I stopped by the Nascar booth in the infield here at Texas. I asked this same question. At first I kinda got an attitude from the guy like he was tired of people *****ing. I explained to him that I was not *****ing but really trying to understand. He relaxed and told me that the Cup Series is the highest series and has the highest penalties. If they were to levy the same penalties on the lower series they could actually start to bankrupt a team for a mistake. If the lower series keep ignoring the penalties, then look for them to raise the penalties. This is what happened in Cup, the penalties were looked at like they were nothing, so they raised them.

I accept that as I do remember the same infractions getting progressively higher penalties over the course of a couple of years.

[Ron61]

Joe,

Now that makes sense as most of the big money is in the Cup Series. I also noticed where Jr. got a fine and points deduction in the Bush, ( It will always be that to me ) Nationwide series. Something about the wing on the car being changed.

Ron

[Joe Wicked]

Yea kind of the way I took it too.