DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A pair of high-profile Nationwide Series teams owned by drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip likely will be penalized after NASCAR inspectors found technical violations before qualifying Friday.
It's not another Daytona cheating scandal - not yet, anyway - but inspectors did impound Earnhardt's No. 5 Nationwide car Thursday night after spotting an illegal modification to his rear spoiler. The team got its car back - minus the spoiler and rear deck lid - Friday morning.
Officials also confiscated the carburetor from the No. 99 Nationwide car driven by David Reutimann, who drives for Michael Waltrip Racing. The carburetor's venturis were too large, allowing more air to pass through and providing a potential horsepower advantage.
Waltrip's Cup series team was penalized for an illegal fuel additive in the Cup series at Daytona last year, touching off a major cheating scandal.
are you kiddin? after what happened to mikey last year at daytona, he still has to qualify his way in to start this season until the new top 35 kicks in, correct? if its true, how could he let it happen on one of his teams. unforgivable.
YeeMum - you the scoop girl. Most liklly Dale and Mikey had nothing todo with it. Even last year Dale had nothing todo with the wing really. I know from my years in the pits the drivers will say make my car fast. BUT ! I dont want to know how you did it. lol
b&o I agree it is ridulous. I would (in their shoes) be double dotting the i's and double crossing the t's -for this race for sure!)
Nationwide series or not- it's a black eye
jbroomy~ I knew someone would go there. I just hope it doesn't become the main theme.
Forensic~Granted Mikey and Jr have been busy driving their own cars. (and rather well I might add)
It is still associated with their teams and 'they' as a group should know better.
Rule #1 in Racing At ALL Levels- if you ain't cheatin', you ain't competin'
Rule #2 - be smart enough to not get caught
Rule #3 - if your team does get caught, as a driver you deny any knowledge of what was going on
The point is, if every team wasn't looking for an edge, we wouldn't need such thorough tech inspections and so many officials. Those who get caught, even with all the effort of the officials, are just the tip of a huge iceberg. Is it harder to cheat in NASCAR than almost anywhere else? YES (emphatically). Will it always go on anyway? YES (emphatically). JMO
True enough. But these two (and their teams respectively) HAD to know they were under a microscope this week.
They are both doing quite well in their cars.
After the hype about Mikey putting last year behind him with his great qualifying this year.
I qould have set everyone down and said "Don't Fudge ANYTHING"
"Atleast not THIS weekend"
I have been called away- I will return to answer your comments as soon as I can.
Thank you all for commenting-I look forward to a lively discussion on this one-
Last edited by YeeMum_ on February 15th at 5:01 PM.
Oh how I yearn for the run what you brung days again. As long as it had a roll cage or what appeared to be a roll cage and 4 inflated tires you could race.
Now a days, you get a fine for having a non NASCAR bolt on your spoiler. Cheese lets race..
They were thinking..."Hmmm! Let's try this on our Nationwide cars and see if we can get it to translate to our Cup cars." Nothing new. Just trying new things at Daytona. Wouldn't be Daytona without it. I'm kind of glad it happened and thank you Yee Mum for calling it!
I dont think this tarnishes their images that much, I wouldnt root for a team who isnt pushing the boundaries! Who knows what the actual penalties are for, a bolt, a screw loose (ahem, NASCAR), vasoline. I am sure it will be a non issue as long as Jr gets a decklid and spoiler on the car by tomorrow! LOL
Yee...Junior's crew probably just "misremembered" where the gray area stops and the red area begins on tweaking the templates, spoilers etc.... Oh snap!
Last edited by Lisa H on February 15th at 9:05 PM.
The best cheaters in racing will tweak maybe 10 things. If they make it through tech with the inspectors only finding some of the 10, they're ahead of the game.
Well, this will add just a bit more interest to the Daytona Speedweeks. Hopefully the infractions will be considered minor, and not detract too much from Saturdays' event. But yeah, as others have said here, the teams will always look for the "grey areas" and loopholes to challenge and hopefully gain an advantage to make their car quicker in the field.
I think it's a shame when guys cheat, the best thing about NASCAR for me is that it truly displays talent. For the most part the cars are the same and have equal capabilities, so the best driver wins. WHen they cheat it taints the validity of their wins. Now if Jr. wins people will grumble about the possibility of him cheating, and if he doesn't win they will say he cheated to win the other events. its a shame.
IF I REMEMBER RIGHT THESE WERE BOTH BUSCH TEAMS OR NATIONWIDE TEAMS THAT GOT CAUGHT, SO NEITHER OF THE GUYS MAY HAVE KNOWN JSUT WHAT WAS DONE. MOST LIKELY DID BUT MAY NOT HAVE. AND ACCORDING TO WHAT I READ BY THE LETTER OF THE LAW HENDRICK IS NOW THE OWNER OF JR'S CARS AND MIKE'S WIFE IS THE WONER OF MIKEY'S CARS, MUCH THE SAME AS HARVICK'S WIFE IS THE OWNER OF HIS NATIONWIDE TEAMS.
Avid NASCAR fan. .I am generally quite friendly, and I don't bite (much).
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