The Sixth NASCAR Day of Christmas: Six Weeks Suspension

Bowyer went from one to done after his car failed
inspection post-Loudon.

In NASCAR,  fortune can turn on a dime.

And no team knows that better than the No. 33 team of Clint Bowyer.

The Richard Childress Racing team went from the highest of highs (winning the first race of the Chase at Loudon) to the lowest of lows (failing inspection and getting docked 150 points).

Per the official NASCAR press release:

"The No. 33 team was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-3 (car body location specifications in reference to the certified chassis did not meet NASCAR-approved specifications) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book."

In addition to the points deficit, crew chief Shane Wilson was suspended for six weeks for the infraction and put on probabation until Dec. 31.

The stiff penalty effectively turned Bowyer and team from a possible championship contender into just another also-ran.

And although Richard Childress fought the judgment with his infamous wrecker defense, NASCAR capitulated not.  The ruling stood.

But you gotta give credit to Bowyer. After his initial impassioned response, the driver didn't waste time crying over lost points. 

Instead, he pulled off a second-place result at Fontana, and went on to win Talladega in a virtual photo finish.

And while dwelling on "could have beens" is often an exercise in futility, I can't help but wonder how Bowyer and Wilson's season would have ended had the penalty never been incurred.

Something tells me they would have finished a heckuva lot better than tenth.

Wilson Should Wear His Penalty With Pride

If your first name is Shane and your last name is Wilson, then you'll probably have some free time on your hands during the next few weeks.

Although NASCAR reduced the suspension for Wilson (who's the crew chief for the No. 33 team of Clint Bowyer), he'll still have to sit out four races. He won't return to the track until Nov. 7.

But Wilson shouldn't fret too much.

Back in the day, bending the rules 'til they almost broke was a mark of honor. (Junior Johnson anyone?) And more recently, a few line-crossin' crew chiefs once benched by NASCAR have gone on to do pretty darn well. 

Case in point? Chad Knaus.

So I say to Shane Wilson, embrace your newfound renegade status.  Wear your infraction like a NASCAR merit badge.  After all, you don't get far without pushing the envelope. And whether the wrecker-made-us-do-it defense was legit or not, you've now joined the ranks of an elite band of rebel brothers.

Oh, and if you're looking for something to do while you're missing Fontana, I hear there's a construction crew in Charlotte that could use help filling a sinkhole.

When All Else Fails, Blame the Wrecker ...



Bowyer celebrates his Loudon win after Sunday's race.

My how fortunes can change. And sometimes all it takes is 60 thousandths of an inch.

Today NASCAR got tough with New Hampshire race winner Clint Bowyer, team owner Richard Childress, crew chief Shane Wilson and car chief Chad Haney when the No. 33 car failed tech inspection. 

And the penalties are bad enough to put a sizable dent in the team's once rosy championship hopes.

Bowyer was docked 150 championship points,  punting him from second to twelfth in the Chase standings.  Childress was docked 150 owner points.  Wilson was fined $150 thousand, suspended from the next six races and put on probation until Dec. 31.  Haney was served with the same penalty as Wilson - minus the hefty fine.

“It revolves around how the body of the car is located on the frame on three coordinates,” said Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby.

Childress vows to repeal the ruling.  And, in its defense, the team is blaming the wrecker which they say hit the rear bumper of Bowyer's No. 33 when it pushed the gasless Chevy to Victory Lane after Sunday's race.

RCR's official statement is below:

"The following is a statement from Richard Childress, president and chief executive officer of Richard Childress Racing, regarding NASCAR’s penalty on the No. 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team after last week’s race in New Hampshire:

'First of all, I’d like to apologize to our sponsors, our fans and everyone at RCR for the situation that has resulted from this ruling. RCR has a long-standing reputation of integrity on and off the race track. We pride ourselves on working within the rules established by the sanctioning body.

NASCAR informed us after the Richmond race that we were very close to their maximum tolerances. They also told us they were going to take our New Hampshire car to the NASCAR Technical Center after that race. It doesn’t make any sense at all that we would send a car to New Hampshire that wasn’t within NASCAR’s tolerances. I am confident we fixed the area of concern and the New Hampshire car left the race shop well within the tolerances required by NASCAR.

We feel certain that the cause of the car being out of tolerance by sixty thousandths of an inch, less than 1/16 of an inch, happened as a result of the wrecker hitting the rear bumper when it pushed the car into winner’s circle. The rear bumper was also hit on the cool down lap by other drivers congratulating Clint on his victory. That’s the only logical way that the left-rear of the car was found to be high at the tech center. We will appeal NASCAR’s ruling and take it all the way to the NASCAR commissioner for a final ruling, if need be.'”

Childress versus NASCAR.  This could be good ...