Kevin Harvick posted the fourth-fastest qualifying speed, but his lap was disallowed.
Berrier recognized risk of fuel cell violation
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
March 12, 2005
LAS VEGAS -- For once, Todd Berrier wishes Kevin Harvick had laid down a slower qualifying lap.
Berrier, Harvick's crew chief, installed an illegal fuel cell in the GM Goodwrench Chevy for Bud Pole Qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- one he said was rigged to appear filled to 22-gallon capacity while actually holding just five gallons.
NASCAR caught him, negating Harvick's top-five qualifying run. Harvick will start 42nd in the UAW-DaimlerChrylser 400 Sunday.
• NASCAR disallows Harvick's qualifying time
But Berrier said if they'd been a tick slower, NASCAR would never have known they were using an illegal cell.
"If we hadn't qualified in the top five they'd have never known, because they didn't check it," Berrier said with a grin Saturday morning. "The top five went to the gas pump to pump gas in the thing, and when they saw that it was already full, it turned up a red flag."
In seasons past, teams could qualify with the fuel load of their choice. But with NASCAR's new impound procedure, they're required to qualify with a full fuel load.
"That's new this year," said second-place qualifier Elliott Sadler. "My team knew about it because I wanted to come here with a light fuel load and they showed me the rule. I didn't know it."
"Nothing was ever said to us until right before we went through to qualify," Berrier explained. "Then right before we went through to qualify, they came by saying 'You know you've got be full of fuel, you've got to have fuel in your vent hose when you go through tech.'
"Well, we were like, 'Okay, we have that handled anyway.' So it wasn't a big deal. There were times I thought, 'yeah, it's not worth it.' But Richard (Childress) is always on me about risk versus gain, and this is one of the times the risk was higher than the gain, because we're starting 42nd. I'll have to address that with him, and that will be the biggest obstacle I have to fight."
Berrier doesn't foresee a points penalty from NASCAR.
"I'm sure they'll fine us, but I don't think they'll take points," he said. "It wasn't a points event. It was a qualifying event. When you get caught with something, if you had to play it over again you'd probably play it a little bit different, but that's my nature, it's how I've always addressed things.
"If it is points, if it's a fine, it don't matter. It all evens back up with 10 to go anyway."
Given the chance, Berrier said he'd do it again. He knows how he got caught. Plus, he operates under the philosophy that asking for forgiveness is far better than asking for permission.
"If I had to do it again, I'd still play it to try to get away with it, because I know how I got caught," Berrier said.
"I could tell you several ways I'd have gotten away with it. But at the end of the day, wrong is wrong, I guess. But if I had less fuel in there -- just enough showing when you wiggle the car going through initial inspection that there was gas in it, they'd have never saw it up there.
"The way it was rigged up, we could have pumped two gallons in it and everything would have been fine and dandy. But as the year progresses I'll play it with 22 gallons from here on out."
Berrier recognized risk of fuel cell violation
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
March 12, 2005
LAS VEGAS -- For once, Todd Berrier wishes Kevin Harvick had laid down a slower qualifying lap.
Berrier, Harvick's crew chief, installed an illegal fuel cell in the GM Goodwrench Chevy for Bud Pole Qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- one he said was rigged to appear filled to 22-gallon capacity while actually holding just five gallons.
NASCAR caught him, negating Harvick's top-five qualifying run. Harvick will start 42nd in the UAW-DaimlerChrylser 400 Sunday.
• NASCAR disallows Harvick's qualifying time
But Berrier said if they'd been a tick slower, NASCAR would never have known they were using an illegal cell.
"If we hadn't qualified in the top five they'd have never known, because they didn't check it," Berrier said with a grin Saturday morning. "The top five went to the gas pump to pump gas in the thing, and when they saw that it was already full, it turned up a red flag."
In seasons past, teams could qualify with the fuel load of their choice. But with NASCAR's new impound procedure, they're required to qualify with a full fuel load.
"That's new this year," said second-place qualifier Elliott Sadler. "My team knew about it because I wanted to come here with a light fuel load and they showed me the rule. I didn't know it."
"Nothing was ever said to us until right before we went through to qualify," Berrier explained. "Then right before we went through to qualify, they came by saying 'You know you've got be full of fuel, you've got to have fuel in your vent hose when you go through tech.'
"Well, we were like, 'Okay, we have that handled anyway.' So it wasn't a big deal. There were times I thought, 'yeah, it's not worth it.' But Richard (Childress) is always on me about risk versus gain, and this is one of the times the risk was higher than the gain, because we're starting 42nd. I'll have to address that with him, and that will be the biggest obstacle I have to fight."
Berrier doesn't foresee a points penalty from NASCAR.
"I'm sure they'll fine us, but I don't think they'll take points," he said. "It wasn't a points event. It was a qualifying event. When you get caught with something, if you had to play it over again you'd probably play it a little bit different, but that's my nature, it's how I've always addressed things.
"If it is points, if it's a fine, it don't matter. It all evens back up with 10 to go anyway."
Given the chance, Berrier said he'd do it again. He knows how he got caught. Plus, he operates under the philosophy that asking for forgiveness is far better than asking for permission.
"If I had to do it again, I'd still play it to try to get away with it, because I know how I got caught," Berrier said.
"I could tell you several ways I'd have gotten away with it. But at the end of the day, wrong is wrong, I guess. But if I had less fuel in there -- just enough showing when you wiggle the car going through initial inspection that there was gas in it, they'd have never saw it up there.
"The way it was rigged up, we could have pumped two gallons in it and everything would have been fine and dandy. But as the year progresses I'll play it with 22 gallons from here on out."
