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NASCAR opens Pandora's box with Edwards ruling
NASCAR SPRINT CUP > News > On the Web
Posted by on Mar 3, 2008, 15:38
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - During this week's UAW-Dodge 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR officials made a good decision by ignoring the "letter of the law." But in doing so, it should now review its previous ruling against Robby Gordon Motorsports.
This weekend's incident took place when a tire got loose from Carl Edwards' No.99 Roush Fenway Racing pit crew, and rolled across the track. The normal procedure is to penalize the team and send the team's car to the back of the longest line, which in fact, they did to the No.99 team earlier in the race. But film of the final pit stop showed that a cameraman interfered with the crewman who was to catch the rolling tire, and thus the team was not penalized. Edwards restarted the race in third place and he went on to win the event.
"I thought we were going to receive another penalty for a tire that got away," said Edwards in the post-race press conference. "But NASCAR made a judgment call in our favor that, after looking at the tape, I believe was the right one. I'm just very grateful for them looking at that and giving that to us."
I agree that NASCAR made the correct call in the race. The problem was caused by an outside influence, and the team gained no advantage. But Pandora's Box has been opened, due to a gray area in the rule book.
My problem now is with NASCAR's application of the rule book concerning Robby Gordon's No.7 team, and the incorrect nose panel that was installed in Daytona.
Just days before the Daytona 500, Robby Gordon Motorsports entered into a partnership with Gillett-Evernham Racing, which meant the team changed from Ford to Dodge.
In the midst of the change-over, a clerical error was made - not by Robby Gordon's team. An unapproved nose was supplied to the Gordon team and installed on the car. When NASCAR officials found the wrong nose on the No.7 Dodge (before the first practice) they fined the team $100,000, suspended the crew chief for six weeks and penalized them 100 driver and owner points.
The error was made not by the No.7 team but by the manufacturer - Dodge. The team could not have known that it was installing an unapproved part.
"It was an unfortunate series of human errors compounded by the very short timeframe RGM had to get their car changed to Dodge Chargers in time for the Daytona 500," said Kipp Owen, director of SRT and Dodge Motorsports Engineering. "Dodge has taken appropriate steps in the warehouse to make sure that prototype parts cannot be mistaken for approved parts in the future and hopes that the circumstances surrounding this error are taken into consideration."
For the small, one-car team the penalty is devastating. The 100-point penalty will knock them outside the Top-35, which determines who is guaranteed a spot in the race. For a team that already took a huge financial hit when the Dakar Rally was cancelled, the financial penalty might be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
While the "letter of the law" says RGM should be given the penalty, now that NASCAR has shown they will bend the rules when justice would not be served, they should now drop the penalty given to Robby Gordon Motorsports.
NASCAR opens Pandora's box with Edwards ruling
NASCAR SPRINT CUP > News > On the Web
Posted by on Mar 3, 2008, 15:38
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - During this week's UAW-Dodge 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR officials made a good decision by ignoring the "letter of the law." But in doing so, it should now review its previous ruling against Robby Gordon Motorsports.
This weekend's incident took place when a tire got loose from Carl Edwards' No.99 Roush Fenway Racing pit crew, and rolled across the track. The normal procedure is to penalize the team and send the team's car to the back of the longest line, which in fact, they did to the No.99 team earlier in the race. But film of the final pit stop showed that a cameraman interfered with the crewman who was to catch the rolling tire, and thus the team was not penalized. Edwards restarted the race in third place and he went on to win the event.
"I thought we were going to receive another penalty for a tire that got away," said Edwards in the post-race press conference. "But NASCAR made a judgment call in our favor that, after looking at the tape, I believe was the right one. I'm just very grateful for them looking at that and giving that to us."
I agree that NASCAR made the correct call in the race. The problem was caused by an outside influence, and the team gained no advantage. But Pandora's Box has been opened, due to a gray area in the rule book.
My problem now is with NASCAR's application of the rule book concerning Robby Gordon's No.7 team, and the incorrect nose panel that was installed in Daytona.
Just days before the Daytona 500, Robby Gordon Motorsports entered into a partnership with Gillett-Evernham Racing, which meant the team changed from Ford to Dodge.
In the midst of the change-over, a clerical error was made - not by Robby Gordon's team. An unapproved nose was supplied to the Gordon team and installed on the car. When NASCAR officials found the wrong nose on the No.7 Dodge (before the first practice) they fined the team $100,000, suspended the crew chief for six weeks and penalized them 100 driver and owner points.
The error was made not by the No.7 team but by the manufacturer - Dodge. The team could not have known that it was installing an unapproved part.
"It was an unfortunate series of human errors compounded by the very short timeframe RGM had to get their car changed to Dodge Chargers in time for the Daytona 500," said Kipp Owen, director of SRT and Dodge Motorsports Engineering. "Dodge has taken appropriate steps in the warehouse to make sure that prototype parts cannot be mistaken for approved parts in the future and hopes that the circumstances surrounding this error are taken into consideration."
For the small, one-car team the penalty is devastating. The 100-point penalty will knock them outside the Top-35, which determines who is guaranteed a spot in the race. For a team that already took a huge financial hit when the Dakar Rally was cancelled, the financial penalty might be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
While the "letter of the law" says RGM should be given the penalty, now that NASCAR has shown they will bend the rules when justice would not be served, they should now drop the penalty given to Robby Gordon Motorsports.