Roush fires off at critics, denies intent of cheating
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
March 7, 2008
09:17 PM EST
type size: + -HAMPTON, Ga. -- Jack Roush is ready to take a polygraph exam to prove there was no intent or knowledge that his No. 99 team tried to cheat last week at Las Vegas.
The owner of Roush Fenway Racing was visually upset Friday that his driver, Carl Edwards, and crew chief, Bob Osborne, were accused of purposely rigging an oil cap to come loose during last Sunday's UAW-Dodge 400, which Edwards won. In post-race inspection, NASCAR discovered the oil cap was missing.
On Wednesday, Edwards was docked 100 driver points, dropping him from the Cup points lead to seventh in the standings. Roush was penalized 100 owner points, and Osborne was fined $100,000 and suspended six races (read more).
On Friday, Lee White, general manager for Toyota Racing Development, told USA Today that removal of the oil cap would provide up to 21 percent more downforce and as much as 50 horsepower. He added that he fully believed the Roush team knew what it was doing going into the race to create an competitive advantage.
That left Roush upset (launch audio).
"The reason I'm here this morning is because I'm mad," he said Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. "I got woken up this morning to the news that Lee White, on behalf of Toyota, had made some disparaging remarks in the USA Today."
Roush defended his No. 99 team and stood to the team's initial statement that the missing bolt came off. His stance is that the vibration from the car forced the cap to unscrew.
"These racecars are very complex," Roush said. "There are lots of fasteners in them. Fasteners fail because they get hit and fasteners fail because the harmonics go through the car. Fasteners fail. How many times have we seen a shifter fall off a car, off a transmission because the drive shaft was a little rough? How many times have we seen a mirror fall off a car because a tire equalized?"
But few people inside the garage are buying that.
"You go to any owner, engineer, driver or crew chief and ask them if that's an advantage. Heck yeah, that's an advantage," said Elliott Sadler, who admitted his teams had done similar tactics in the past before NASCAR began policing it. "It's 100 pounds of downforce."
When asked whether he thought vibration was a possible reason behind the mishap, Ryan Newman also was blunt in his answer.
"No -- because my car vibrates the same way and didn't come off," said Newman, who added that he felt that Edwards' penalty was justified. "Should've used a different bolt."
Pressed on the number of attachments used to keep an oil tank lid on, Newman said that varies.
"Depends on what team you're on," he said. "Looks like they used one."
Responded Roush: "Well, you could put a number of fasteners in it, and if they all didn't come loose, it would stay secure. One fastener is enough if it stays secure and keeping to the weight efficiency of the car, that's what you'd want to do."
Roush said it's standard procedure on all of his team cars to use one fastener, and that while some organizations in the garage choose to use tape as an insurance policy, he noted that Osborne elected not to.
Edwards wasn't as vocal about the ruling, but didn't shy away from taking a stab at his critics.
"It was an absolute mistake; there was no intent. And that's a reality," Edwards said. "The bottom line is I don't have anything going on Monday, so if Toyota or anyone else wants to line the cars up at Vegas and hire a flagman and run 400 laps again, I think I could do it on Monday."
Roush said the team has no intention of appealing the penalty, noting his past history of unsuccessful attempts and his lack of confidence in the appeals process.
"In 22 years of being involved with this thing, I've never gotten any relief and we've appealed several times," he said. "I think enlightenment is not one of the tools that would be useful for them. I think, for the most part, they're predisposed for one reason or the other and it's a rubber stamp thing."
Toyota issued a statement from White later in the evening with comments backing off his original statements.
"I don't know if the situation with the No. 99 car at Las Vegas was intentional," White said. "Obviously, I can't make that call. I drew the same circumstantial conclusion as others have. I will tell you categorically -- Jack Roush doesn't cheat. He never has, I'm absolutely certain that he doesn't now or ever will."
Problem is, others aren't so certain.
"Somebody took a picture of [Edwards] doing a backflip off the left side of the car, and the oil tank lid is eight inches off the top of the tank. That's not one bolt, guys," Sadler said. "They did a good job of figuring it out and made it work. I'm impressed. They're smart, and they won the race."
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
March 7, 2008
09:17 PM EST
type size: + -HAMPTON, Ga. -- Jack Roush is ready to take a polygraph exam to prove there was no intent or knowledge that his No. 99 team tried to cheat last week at Las Vegas.
The owner of Roush Fenway Racing was visually upset Friday that his driver, Carl Edwards, and crew chief, Bob Osborne, were accused of purposely rigging an oil cap to come loose during last Sunday's UAW-Dodge 400, which Edwards won. In post-race inspection, NASCAR discovered the oil cap was missing.
On Wednesday, Edwards was docked 100 driver points, dropping him from the Cup points lead to seventh in the standings. Roush was penalized 100 owner points, and Osborne was fined $100,000 and suspended six races (read more).
On Friday, Lee White, general manager for Toyota Racing Development, told USA Today that removal of the oil cap would provide up to 21 percent more downforce and as much as 50 horsepower. He added that he fully believed the Roush team knew what it was doing going into the race to create an competitive advantage.
That left Roush upset (launch audio).
"The reason I'm here this morning is because I'm mad," he said Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. "I got woken up this morning to the news that Lee White, on behalf of Toyota, had made some disparaging remarks in the USA Today."
Roush defended his No. 99 team and stood to the team's initial statement that the missing bolt came off. His stance is that the vibration from the car forced the cap to unscrew.
"These racecars are very complex," Roush said. "There are lots of fasteners in them. Fasteners fail because they get hit and fasteners fail because the harmonics go through the car. Fasteners fail. How many times have we seen a shifter fall off a car, off a transmission because the drive shaft was a little rough? How many times have we seen a mirror fall off a car because a tire equalized?"
But few people inside the garage are buying that.
"You go to any owner, engineer, driver or crew chief and ask them if that's an advantage. Heck yeah, that's an advantage," said Elliott Sadler, who admitted his teams had done similar tactics in the past before NASCAR began policing it. "It's 100 pounds of downforce."
When asked whether he thought vibration was a possible reason behind the mishap, Ryan Newman also was blunt in his answer.
"No -- because my car vibrates the same way and didn't come off," said Newman, who added that he felt that Edwards' penalty was justified. "Should've used a different bolt."
Pressed on the number of attachments used to keep an oil tank lid on, Newman said that varies.
"Depends on what team you're on," he said. "Looks like they used one."
Responded Roush: "Well, you could put a number of fasteners in it, and if they all didn't come loose, it would stay secure. One fastener is enough if it stays secure and keeping to the weight efficiency of the car, that's what you'd want to do."
Roush said it's standard procedure on all of his team cars to use one fastener, and that while some organizations in the garage choose to use tape as an insurance policy, he noted that Osborne elected not to.
Edwards wasn't as vocal about the ruling, but didn't shy away from taking a stab at his critics.
"It was an absolute mistake; there was no intent. And that's a reality," Edwards said. "The bottom line is I don't have anything going on Monday, so if Toyota or anyone else wants to line the cars up at Vegas and hire a flagman and run 400 laps again, I think I could do it on Monday."
Roush said the team has no intention of appealing the penalty, noting his past history of unsuccessful attempts and his lack of confidence in the appeals process.
"In 22 years of being involved with this thing, I've never gotten any relief and we've appealed several times," he said. "I think enlightenment is not one of the tools that would be useful for them. I think, for the most part, they're predisposed for one reason or the other and it's a rubber stamp thing."
Toyota issued a statement from White later in the evening with comments backing off his original statements.
"I don't know if the situation with the No. 99 car at Las Vegas was intentional," White said. "Obviously, I can't make that call. I drew the same circumstantial conclusion as others have. I will tell you categorically -- Jack Roush doesn't cheat. He never has, I'm absolutely certain that he doesn't now or ever will."
Problem is, others aren't so certain.
"Somebody took a picture of [Edwards] doing a backflip off the left side of the car, and the oil tank lid is eight inches off the top of the tank. That's not one bolt, guys," Sadler said. "They did a good job of figuring it out and made it work. I'm impressed. They're smart, and they won the race."
You got that right !!!!!!!