NASCAR has confiscated the intake manifold

kelloggs5TLfan

kelloggs5TLfan

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - NASCAR has confiscated the intake manifold of the No. 55 Michael Waltrip Racing car prior to qualifying today after finding a foreign substance inside it.

Michael Waltrip will still be allowed to qualify the car with a replacement intake manifold.


"We are going to send it back to the [Research and Development] Center this evening and do some tests tomorrow," NASCAR Vice President Robin Pemberton said. "Our inspector caught a substance inside that we didn't really know what it was."

Pemberton would not discuss penalties, only saying there will be answers by the end of the week. He said that is the only car with major inspection issues so far today.

An intake manifold is a housing that directs the air-fuel mixture through the port openings in the cylinder heads. Typically, intake manifold violations are considered serious.
 
Of course it was a "foreign" substance.

It is a "foreign" car, after all. :D
 
Guido said:
Of course it was a "foreign" substance.

It is a "foreign" car, after all. :D
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rofl.gif
 
Good one Guido. But I was thinking something on this line of cheating and that would be for the team to be able to put some sort of object that could melt or evaporate once the temperature got hot enough to allow maybe some kind of gas into the carb. I understand that what set this off in the first place was an odor that an inspector noticed.
 
According to Mikey during his most recent interview, it was oil getting into the manifold, that they didn't know why, and that it happened again when they put a new one on. I don't understand why Nascar would view that as suspicious, though. So either Mikey is lying about what's wrong, or Nascar is being overly picky...who knows.

One thing is for sure, I'll be very interested in what the R & D center has to say in a couple days.
 
His face and body language!

jeefunk said:
According to Mikey during his most recent interview, it was oil getting into the manifold, that they didn't know why, and that it happened again when they put a new one on. I don't understand why Nascar would view that as suspicious, though. So either Mikey is lying about what's wrong, or Nascar is being overly picky...who knows.

One thing is for sure, I'll be very interested in what the R & D center has to say in a couple days.
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I saw that interview also. Reminded me of the time I had a wild housecat living under my porch. There were bird feathers everywhere and it bothered me. So I got a live trap and put some cat food in it to catch him... no dice! So I put some table scraps in there...no dice! Then one evening I opened a can of sardines.. the next moring I had him in the trap!
When I walked over to the trap he looked up at me... with a look that said it ALL! He knew better than to get into that trap, but just could not help himself...he just had to go for it.
Mikey had that same look on his face when he was interviewed! That look made me remember the cat!
My friends tell me there is NO WAY, short of a blown engine, that oil could get in there where the substance was found.
Betsy:rolleyes:
 
Betsy said:
I saw that interview also. Reminded me of the time I had a wild housecat living under my porch. There were bird feathers everywhere and it bothered me. So I got a live trap and put some cat food in it to catch him... no dice! So I put some table scraps in there...no dice! Then one evening I opened a can of sardines.. the next moring I had him in the trap!
When I walked over to the trap he looked up at me... with a look that said it ALL! He knew better than to get into that trap, but just could not help himself...he just had to go for it.
Mikey had that same look on his face when he was interviewed! That look made me remember the cat!
My friends tell me there is NO WAY, short of a blown engine, that oil could get in there where the substance was found.
Betsy:rolleyes:
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lol betsy, you've been on fire lately...i also noticed this, looks like mikey was getting sick to his stomach there, looking kinda pale hehe. He's going to have some explaining to do here in a couple of days..it'd be interesting
 
reck said:
lol betsy, you've been on fire lately...i also noticed this, looks like mikey was getting sick to his stomach there, looking kinda pale hehe. He's going to have some explaining to do here in a couple of days..it'd be interesting
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Remember that look on Robby's face after his little incident. That was pretty similar.
 
And now it's even worse

From FOX Sports:

Lee Spencer / FOXSports.com
Posted: 28 minutes ago



DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - After having his manifold confiscated Sunday morning, Michael Waltrip's problems continued in the afternoon.

He qualified 24th, then NASCAR impounded his Toyota Camry to inspect it further.
Waltrip's drivers David Reutimann and Dale Jarrett qualified 15th and 48th, respectively.

Previously, NASCAR officials were using leak detectors to determine if teams had bored holes in the manifolds or carburetors of cars to increase the intake of air and attain an unfair advantage.

Officials used gauges that measured the amount of sound from air blowing around the manifold and below the carburetor before the race. But before the No. 55 car could even reach that portion of the inspection process, John Darby confiscated the intake manifold to evaluate the fuel and carried it off in a garbage bag.

"I know we didn't get thrown out, we just had to change the intake and we'll go from there," Waltrip, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, said. "We didn't do anything. They (NASCAR) just have to try to figure out what happened. I'm talking in circles, because I don't know what happened."

"NASCAR said they didn't like what they saw with the manifold and they were taking it to x-ray and test," said Bobby Kennedy, the VP of competition for Michael Waltrip Racing.

MWR's Ty Norris spoke with reporters after a meeting with NASCAR and said the sanctioning body didn't accuse the team of doing anything right or wrong, but would follow up on Thursday. One source in the garage speculated that the aformentioned "fuel" was Sterno
 
#25-Casey Mears and #17-Matt Kenseth qualifying times/speeds been disallowed, both will start at the end of the 2nd Gatorade Duel race. The #17 and #25 cars were found to have illegal aerodynamic devices/enhancements. NASCAR's Jim Hunter said both infraction is considered as serious as the one that caused #48-Johnson's crew chief to be suspended after Daytona 500 qualifying last year. While the crew chiefs have not been suspended, NASCAR has not rules out anything, penalties are forthcoming. Also, the #55 Toyota was impounded by NASCAR and Hunter said the car would be inspected 'with a fine tooth comb'. Both Kahne and Mears will be allowed to start their respective Duel 150's from the rear. No word on what will happen with Waltrip and the #55 team.
 
Vern Demerest said:
#25-Casey Mears and #17-Matt Kenseth qualifying times/speeds been disallowed, both will start at the end of the 2nd Gatorade Duel race.........

The #17 and #25 cars were found to have illegal aerodynamic devices/enhancements. Both Kahne and Mears will be allowed to start their respective Duel 150's from the rear.
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I think you have the wrong drivers it's the 17 and 9

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - NASCAR disallowed the times of both the No. 9 car of Kasey Kahne and the No. 17 car of Matt Kenseth following qualifying for the Daytona 500 on Sunday.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/6464174
 
Bucky Badger said:
I think you have the wrong drivers it's the 17 and 9

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - NASCAR disallowed the times of both the No. 9 car of Kasey Kahne and the No. 17 car of Matt Kenseth following qualifying for the Daytona 500 on Sunday.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/6464174
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NASCAR vice president Jim Hunter said that inspectors found unapproved devices that enhanced the speeds of both cars and "which could mean a hole here or there" particularly in the wheel well of the No. 17. Hunter added that both cars will start from the rear of the field in the second qualifying race on Thursday. Additional penalties, which Hunter said could include fines, points or suspensions, would be announced tomorrow. Hunter added that the infractions were every bit as serious as Chad Knaus's creativity with the rear window on the No. 48 in last year's Daytona 500, which earned him a four-week suspension.

"We are committed to trying to stop all the games that are being played," Hunter said. "We're committed to maintaining the integrity of the garage area and we're going to do whatever it takes to do that."
 
BobbyFord said:
Hunter added that the infractions were every bit as serious as Chad Knaus's creativity with the rear window on the No. 48 in last year's Daytona 500, which earned him a four-week suspension
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Then why weren't the crew chief's suspended? you know...with NASCAR cracking down and everything......
 
Who wants to blame Jimmie and his crew now?
 
Last year everyone wanted Jimmie Johnson and his crew head on a platter, now everyone is like quiet and all, point been Jimmie starting this whole deal last year, and plus i was been sarcastic ;)
 
reck said:
Last year everyone wanted Jimmie Johnson and his crew head on a platter, now everyone is like quiet and all, point been Jimmie starting this whole deal last year, and plus i was been sarcastic ;)
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Never wanted Jimmie's head, but Knaus's would have been fine. LOL

I surely hope that the CCs for Kahne and Kenseth will receive the same if the infraction is as serious as it sounds.
 
reck said:
Last year everyone wanted Jimmie Johnson and his crew head on a platter, now everyone is like quiet and all, point been Jimmie starting this whole deal last year, and plus i was been sarcastic ;)
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Not to be rude or start a fued here but what exactly did Jimmie start? Nascar teams have been trying to cheat since before Johnson was evan born!:beerbang:
 
As to Michael and his troubles, I'm sure he hasn't done anything that he didn't do in the past. He just doesn't have his 'Get Out of Jail Free' card any longer.
As to others trying something illegal or out of bounds of good sportsmanship I'm astounded. Not counting Chad last year we all know that cheating does not exist in NASCAR. I'm sure it was just on oversight by these fine men and their teams... :XXROFL:
 
barelypure said:
As to Michael and his troubles, I'm sure he hasn't done anything that he didn't do in the past. He just doesn't have his 'Get Out of Jail Free' card any longer.
As to others trying something illegal or out of bounds of good sportsmanship I'm astounded. Not counting Chad last year we all know that cheating does not exist in NASCAR. I'm sure it was just on oversight by these fine men and their teams... :XXROFL:
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:lol2: :XXROFL: :laugh:

If that was Berrier, they would have parked him for the season.
 
fun_in_my_z said:
Not to be rude or start a fued here but what exactly did Jimmie start? Nascar teams have been trying to cheat since before Johnson was evan born!:beerbang:
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That yes, but at plate races? it seens they most often try to cheat on the superspeedways more so then they try on the other tracks
 
I think Mikey just misses those special plates he got when he was still with DEI. ;)

Seriously though, we all know cheating has been going on as long as there have been race cars. That's why they have inspections in the first place, to make sure only certain cars have an unfair advantage. :beerbang:
 
Lee Spencer / FOXSports.com

While the NASCAR world awaits the ruling this week on fines and/or suspensions for a trio of Nextel Cup teams -- those of Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Michael Waltrip -- it's time to play a little game called "Conspiracy Theory."

It wasn't by accident that NASCAR zeroed in on the Nos. 9 and 17 cars of Kahne and Kenseth after Sunday's qualifying session for the Daytona 500 and disallowed the times of the two 2006 Chase competitors.

According to sources, NASCAR officials peeked under the covers of several cars on Saturday after the garage had closed for the night. "That's how the inspectors knew exactly what to look for on the cars," said a team engineer, who asked to remain anonymous.



Kenseth and Kahne qualified 11th and 28th, respectively, but will start at the back of the pack for the Duel 150 qualifying races on Thursday as punishment for infractions that involved unauthorized aerodynamic modifications to the cars. Both Kenseth and Kahne have guaranteed starting spots in the Daytona 500 by virtue of their top-35 points finishes last year.

Here's what frosts me, though: NASCAR had no problem calling out Jack Roush's team by revealing that there were holes in the wheel wells of Kenseth's No. 17 Ford, but never bothered to mention the reason for the penalty to Kahne's Evernham Motorsports car. (A source in the garage said it was because tape was coming off the oil tank cover of the No. 9 Dodge, which would allow air to vent out to the bottom of the car.)

For the memory-challenged among us, let me remind you that the "holes in the wheel well" scenario was similar to the accusation that SPEED's Bob Dillner made about the Richard Childress Racing cars at New Hampshire last year — the first race of the Chase. The report asserted that holes had been made in the rims, enabling the tires to bleed, lowering air pressure and offering better grip.

That report was quickly shot down by NASCAR.

However, when certain teams attempted to buy wheels last fall, they discovered a shortage caused by the purchase of approximately 600 rims by RCR. Hmmm, what possible reason could RCR have had for purchasing 600 new tire rims right around the time the team was being accused of drilling holes in them?

It's not unusual for NASCAR to bust an operation with a slap on the wrist and inform the team to forget about using the latest and greatest illegal innovation. If indeed there was something untoward about the Childress cars, chances are that NASCAR wanted to avoid negative publicity entering the Chase and was uncomfortable penalizing RCR and putting a damper on what was the feel-good comeback story of last year.



But Sunday's scenario just makes you scratch your head and ask: Why would NASCAR be so quick to point out what was wrong with Kenseth's car, but so comparatively closemouthed about Kahne's infraction?

To suggest that anyone in Evernham Motorsports could have done anything to curry favor with NASCAR in this regard would be patently unfair. Less unfair would be the suggestion that NASCAR merely has its favorites, and Jack Roush is not among them. It's no secret that Roush's drivers routinely seem to be the league's whipping boys.

The last thing NASCAR needs is the appearance of being in bed with a team or two, or even three. But fair or unfair, NASCAR brings this kind of eyebrow-raising on itself when it treats one team one way, and another team another.

One of the beautiful things about the sport is how the garage community polices itself. That's how Michael Waltrip got busted for a questionable liquid on his manifold prior to Sunday's pole qualifying. His car and engine were confiscated and it's unclear when he'll get them back.

Old-fashioned schoolyard justice? Maybe. We'll see. Sure, teams may rat out each other to deflect attention from their own "creativity," but they're also keeping the playing field even.

NASCAR needs to treat all of its teams as evenly as possible.

Lee Spencer is a senior NASCAR writer for FOXSports.com.
 
That's right. I never saw anything where specific infractions with each team were mentioned. Someone in the media either found out or just guessed and that's what the rest of the media is running with in their stories.

I'm interested to see how NASCAR handles these infractions, especially the Waltrip one if they did cheat. NASCAR caught a lot of flack for how they handled their penalties toward Jimmie Johnson's team last year. Tougher penalities will be deemed by the nay-sayers as playing favorites for Johnson. Equal penalities will show teams what they can get by with and how they're willing to accept those penalities in favor of a win (see Johnson). NASCAR will be in a tough spot on this.
 
Here's what frosts me, though: NASCAR had no problem calling out Jack Roush's team by revealing that there were holes in the wheel wells of Kenseth's No. 17 Ford, but never bothered to mention the reason for the penalty to Kahne's Evernham Motorsports car. (A source in the garage said it was because tape was coming off the oil tank cover of the No. 9 Dodge, which would allow air to vent out to the bottom of the car.)
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I don't know what the big deal is as Stewart will hand out some justice to the #17 at Daytona.:eek:

I'm not sure if he still has something against the #9 or not but maybe will find out on Sunday :)
 
BobbyFord said:
Yeah, and how does it look for Toyota breaking into a new sport by cheating right off the bat?
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http://www.thatsracin.com/140/story/2926.html
Michael Waltrip's statement
Related Content
Statement from Michael Waltrip
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 14, 2007) – Michael Waltrip’s statement regarding the NASCAR penalties handed down this evening to the No. 55 Michael Waltrip Racing entry:

“In the past 12 months, Michael Waltrip Racing has hired more than 150 people and we currently employ more than 200. Although we have grown at an accelerated pace, it has been our mission to hire people with high moral value and character to properly represent our sponsors and our ownership.

“During preparations for the 2007 season and especially the 2007 Daytona 500, I specifically requested that our competition teams not disrespect NASCAR, our competitors or our sponsors by blatantly circumventing the rules.

“This is not the action of an organization, a manufacturer or a sponsor. This was an independent act done without consent or authorization from me or any of my executive management team. As an owner, I realize I am ultimately held responsible for the actions of my employees. Therefore, I accept the penalties issued tonight by NASCAR.

“I respect NASCAR’s rules, its people and the sport’s integrity, which is why I am so sad and embarrassed. I am dedicated to get to the bottom of this because I will not let the independent act of an individual or individuals tarnish the incredible accomplishment my organization has made to be where we are today.

“I want to apologize to the other owners, who know how hard I’ve worked to get here in such a short period of time, NASCAR, Toyota, NAPA, all my sponsors, the drivers and especially the fans.”
 
Well for sure ONE of those 150 employees knows how to write! Of course it is pure BS certainly he KNEW it was in there. No employee would have done such stuff behind his back.
It was embellished more than I expected but otherwise right on the mark.
Betsy :rolleyes:
 
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