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Knaus: Penalty just part of the job
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
Chad Knaus, crew chief for Winston Cup rookie star Jimmie Johnson, said Friday the points penalty and fine levied by NASCAR against his team this week comes with the territory.
"Being creative is my job," Knaus said. "If I am going to get fined and penalized for being creative, then that’s just part of it."
The team had 25 driver points and 25 car owner points deducted and Knaus was fined $25,000 for the infraction, which inolved offset bolts on the front trailing arms of Johnson’s Chevrolet in inspection before qualifying for last weekend’s Pepsi 400.
NASCAR regulates how far these bolts can be from the springs in the car’s suspension. Offsetting them in effect softens the springs, possibly allowing the car to settle lower toward the track when air is pressing on it.
"This was performance-enhancing in the opinion of our officials," said Jim Hunter NASCAR vice president for communications. "In layman's terms it would help the car’s aerodynamics."
Hunter said a NASCAR inspector found the bolts when he was up under the car in inspection before qualifying last weekend. The nature of the violation and previous NASCAR warnings that teams could start facing more than just fines for violations.
"Fines don't seem to be getting it done," Hunter said. "So, this was an opportunity for us. This particular infraction we think warranted a loss in points. …I think this will get the message across. I guess we’ll see."
Knaus said the penalty "could have been a lot worse," and added that he’s convinced his Chevy wasn’t the only car with "creative elements" on at Daytona.
"I’ll guarantee you a lot of the cars out there weren’t the fairest cars, or the most strict on the rules," Knaus said. "A lot of people go out to the speedways and try to find an edge. They find it in many, many different ways."
"The No. 48 Chevrolet is one of the most legal cars in this garage. The reason our car is going so fast is we have an awesome driver and an awesome team and that’s all there is to it."
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
Chad Knaus, crew chief for Winston Cup rookie star Jimmie Johnson, said Friday the points penalty and fine levied by NASCAR against his team this week comes with the territory.
"Being creative is my job," Knaus said. "If I am going to get fined and penalized for being creative, then that’s just part of it."
The team had 25 driver points and 25 car owner points deducted and Knaus was fined $25,000 for the infraction, which inolved offset bolts on the front trailing arms of Johnson’s Chevrolet in inspection before qualifying for last weekend’s Pepsi 400.
NASCAR regulates how far these bolts can be from the springs in the car’s suspension. Offsetting them in effect softens the springs, possibly allowing the car to settle lower toward the track when air is pressing on it.
"This was performance-enhancing in the opinion of our officials," said Jim Hunter NASCAR vice president for communications. "In layman's terms it would help the car’s aerodynamics."
Hunter said a NASCAR inspector found the bolts when he was up under the car in inspection before qualifying last weekend. The nature of the violation and previous NASCAR warnings that teams could start facing more than just fines for violations.
"Fines don't seem to be getting it done," Hunter said. "So, this was an opportunity for us. This particular infraction we think warranted a loss in points. …I think this will get the message across. I guess we’ll see."
Knaus said the penalty "could have been a lot worse," and added that he’s convinced his Chevy wasn’t the only car with "creative elements" on at Daytona.
"I’ll guarantee you a lot of the cars out there weren’t the fairest cars, or the most strict on the rules," Knaus said. "A lot of people go out to the speedways and try to find an edge. They find it in many, many different ways."
"The No. 48 Chevrolet is one of the most legal cars in this garage. The reason our car is going so fast is we have an awesome driver and an awesome team and that’s all there is to it."