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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Driver Matt Kenseth and car owner Jack Roush expressed outrage Wednesday over NASCAR's decision to dock the team 50 championship points before the season-opener Daytona 500.
Fellow car owner Ray Evernham was equally frustrated by the sport's tough stance on rule-breakers.
Even drivers not involved in NASCAR's cheating crackdown were concerned about whether the governing body was going too far by suspending four crew chiefs Tuesday for failed inspections.
"They are creating a deterrence right now," driver Jeff Burton said. "That's what they are doing. ... I'd be willing to bet that if everybody had to do the same thing over again, they wouldn't do the same thing. We have to be careful not to create a penalty so large that it's not fair.
"I think the message is really clear in the garage right now that they aren't going to put up with anything."
NASCAR suspended Kenseth's crew chief and three of Evernham's crew chiefs Tuesday for violations discovered during qualifying inspections two days earlier.
Punishment only got worse Wednesday, when Michael Waltrip's crew chief and team director were thrown out of the Daytona 500 and suspended indefinitely after an illegal substance was found during inspection. Waltrip was docked 100 points, and his crew chief, David Hyder, also was fined $100,000.
Kenseth said his main concern was his team's punishment was significantly more severe than the one levied against Jimmie Johnson's team before last year's season-opener.
"That was 10 times graver an infraction than this was," said Kenseth, the 2003 Cup series champion and last year's runner-up. "There were parts purposely built to move body panels around, all kinds of stuff, and we had a couple covers, or one cover, come off that was covering a hole up. It's night and day difference. ... It's kind of like the difference between jaywalking and attempted murder."
Robbie Reiser, crew chief for Kenseth, and Kenny Francis, crew chief for Kasey Kahne, were suspended four races and fined $50,000 each. The drivers were docked 50 points each.
Rodney Childers, crew chief for Scott Riggs, and Josh Brown, crew chief for Elliott Sadler, were suspended two races and fined $25,000. The drivers were docked 25 points each.
"Certainly, it's been unprecedented," Roush said. "But if you look and say what have been the precedents of NASCAR, what has been their history and their tradition, it has been to do unprecedented things - when it suits their purpose. They continue to do things that are different and that are more severe as they relate to infractions than has historically been the case."
NASCAR officials warned teams last season that penalties would escalate to grab the attention of owners, drivers and crew chiefs. They seemingly have it now.
"In some ways I wish they had said to everybody 'Look guys, we are going to be tougher than we have ever been, and the penalties are going to be way, way bigger,"' Burton said. "And they did do that last year, but we tend to focus on the Daytona 500. Over the years there have been a lot of things done to make people go fast, and that's what happened Sunday, too."
Kenseth's team was penalized for having unapproved holes in the wheel-well area of his Ford. The holes had been taped over, but Roush said the tape apparently came off during the qualifying run."The fact is we're all human, we're all working as hard as we can and we try to do the best that we can," Kenseth said. "I don't think that Robbie's ever been known for cheating. I think we've always been known as honest, straight-shooters. ... The one thing I do want to convey to my fans is that the infraction is totally different than some of the other ones. It's just that NASCAR's cracking down on every little thing, which in the long run - as long as you know that you're not racing against people that are cheating - then it's probably good."
Kahne's team was penalized for missing tape on his Dodge. Evernham acknowledged one layer of tape had been sliced through, adding that he had little problem with that punishment and did not plan to appeal.
"I have no way to prove whether the tape was there, was not there or designed to come off," he said.
But Evernham took exception to the penalties on the other two cars, saying bolts on Dodges driven by Riggs and Sadler were drilled out the same way in all four restrictor-plate races last season.
Evernham also said there was no specific rule covering the bolts, which might prompt an appeal.
"I don't mind the rules," Evernham said. "I do want the cheating - even the gray area - to stop, but the way the rule book is written, it forces you to do those things. ... Now that you can be suspended or penalized heavily for presenting something that you are not sure of, now what do you do? We're going to have to say that maybe the rules have to be written a little bit more clearly."
NASCAR president Mike Helton said Evernham's excuse that the bolts went unnoticed last year had no bearing this season.
"We've heard those stories time and time again from different moments," Helton said. "Just because someone may have gotten by with it before doesn't mean it's OK. When we find it, that's when we find it.
"We've got enough experienced team owners and crew chiefs in this sport. They know how we work."
Fellow car owner Ray Evernham was equally frustrated by the sport's tough stance on rule-breakers.
Even drivers not involved in NASCAR's cheating crackdown were concerned about whether the governing body was going too far by suspending four crew chiefs Tuesday for failed inspections.
"They are creating a deterrence right now," driver Jeff Burton said. "That's what they are doing. ... I'd be willing to bet that if everybody had to do the same thing over again, they wouldn't do the same thing. We have to be careful not to create a penalty so large that it's not fair.
"I think the message is really clear in the garage right now that they aren't going to put up with anything."
NASCAR suspended Kenseth's crew chief and three of Evernham's crew chiefs Tuesday for violations discovered during qualifying inspections two days earlier.
Punishment only got worse Wednesday, when Michael Waltrip's crew chief and team director were thrown out of the Daytona 500 and suspended indefinitely after an illegal substance was found during inspection. Waltrip was docked 100 points, and his crew chief, David Hyder, also was fined $100,000.
Kenseth said his main concern was his team's punishment was significantly more severe than the one levied against Jimmie Johnson's team before last year's season-opener.
"That was 10 times graver an infraction than this was," said Kenseth, the 2003 Cup series champion and last year's runner-up. "There were parts purposely built to move body panels around, all kinds of stuff, and we had a couple covers, or one cover, come off that was covering a hole up. It's night and day difference. ... It's kind of like the difference between jaywalking and attempted murder."
Robbie Reiser, crew chief for Kenseth, and Kenny Francis, crew chief for Kasey Kahne, were suspended four races and fined $50,000 each. The drivers were docked 50 points each.
Rodney Childers, crew chief for Scott Riggs, and Josh Brown, crew chief for Elliott Sadler, were suspended two races and fined $25,000. The drivers were docked 25 points each.
"Certainly, it's been unprecedented," Roush said. "But if you look and say what have been the precedents of NASCAR, what has been their history and their tradition, it has been to do unprecedented things - when it suits their purpose. They continue to do things that are different and that are more severe as they relate to infractions than has historically been the case."
NASCAR officials warned teams last season that penalties would escalate to grab the attention of owners, drivers and crew chiefs. They seemingly have it now.
"In some ways I wish they had said to everybody 'Look guys, we are going to be tougher than we have ever been, and the penalties are going to be way, way bigger,"' Burton said. "And they did do that last year, but we tend to focus on the Daytona 500. Over the years there have been a lot of things done to make people go fast, and that's what happened Sunday, too."
Kenseth's team was penalized for having unapproved holes in the wheel-well area of his Ford. The holes had been taped over, but Roush said the tape apparently came off during the qualifying run."The fact is we're all human, we're all working as hard as we can and we try to do the best that we can," Kenseth said. "I don't think that Robbie's ever been known for cheating. I think we've always been known as honest, straight-shooters. ... The one thing I do want to convey to my fans is that the infraction is totally different than some of the other ones. It's just that NASCAR's cracking down on every little thing, which in the long run - as long as you know that you're not racing against people that are cheating - then it's probably good."
Kahne's team was penalized for missing tape on his Dodge. Evernham acknowledged one layer of tape had been sliced through, adding that he had little problem with that punishment and did not plan to appeal.
"I have no way to prove whether the tape was there, was not there or designed to come off," he said.
But Evernham took exception to the penalties on the other two cars, saying bolts on Dodges driven by Riggs and Sadler were drilled out the same way in all four restrictor-plate races last season.
Evernham also said there was no specific rule covering the bolts, which might prompt an appeal.
"I don't mind the rules," Evernham said. "I do want the cheating - even the gray area - to stop, but the way the rule book is written, it forces you to do those things. ... Now that you can be suspended or penalized heavily for presenting something that you are not sure of, now what do you do? We're going to have to say that maybe the rules have to be written a little bit more clearly."
NASCAR president Mike Helton said Evernham's excuse that the bolts went unnoticed last year had no bearing this season.
"We've heard those stories time and time again from different moments," Helton said. "Just because someone may have gotten by with it before doesn't mean it's OK. When we find it, that's when we find it.
"We've got enough experienced team owners and crew chiefs in this sport. They know how we work."
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