Re: Bad, bad NASCAR boys
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR announced Wednesday that it has confiscated the primary car of the No. 55 Toyota team that competes in the Nextel Cup Series with driver Michael Waltrip, as a result of rule violations found during pre- and post-qualifying inspection for the Daytona 500.
Crew chief Larry (David) Hyder and the team's vice president of competition Bobby Kennedy have been ejected from this week's events at Daytona International Speedway and suspended indefinitely. Hyder also has been fined $100,000.
Michael Waltrip
NASCAR also penalized Waltrip with the loss of 100 driver points. His qualifying time from pole day on Feb. 11 was disallowed.
Team owner Elizabeth (Buffy) Waltrip has been penalized 100 car owner championship points.
The actions taken by NASCAR resulted from violations of 12- 4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing), 12-4-Q (car, car parts components and/or equipment not conforming to NASCAR rules) and 20-15.2C (gasoline must not be blended with alcohols, ethers or other oxygenates).
When asked how long indefinite might be, NASCAR vice president for competition Robin Pemberton said "that's very long. When it decides it wants to, the team can apply for them to be reinstated."
Pemberton added that ejections were not open for appeal the National Stock Car Commission.
NASCAR cleared Waltrip's back-up No. 55 Camry to participate in Wednesday's two practices for Thursday's Gatorade Duel qualifying races, but it never left the garage. Pemberton said at 6:15 p.m. ET the car had not yet cleared inspection.
The confiscated car and the parts related to the violations will be transported to the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C., for further inspection.
NASCAR said the investigation of the confiscated car is ongoing.
Scott Eggleston will serve as interim crew chief for the No. 55 Toyota.
What started as an agonizing inspection process for Waltrip on Sunday turned dramatic following his Daytona 500 qualifying run.
Before qualifying began Pemberton said an inspector in NASCAR's engine checking area "caught a substance inside" the car's manifold in its initial pass through inspection.
Pemberton said, "We didn't know what it was," so that manifold was immediately seized and would be shipped to NASCAR's tech center in Concord, N.C., for analysis.
It was nearly 2:30 p.m. ET and a number of cars had already made their qualifying runs when Waltrip's car cleared engine inspection.
Apparently NASCAR wasn't done acting on what Waltrip and his employees called "oil" in the manifold. The No. 55 team replaced the manifold and Waltrip qualified before NASCAR seized the car.
