Eleven drivers were penalized for being late for inspection at Darlignton Raceway last week. Ten teams/drivers will be held for 15 minutes before they can practice today at Richmond: #5-Busch, #7-Gordon, #8-Earnhardt Jr., #10-Riggs, #15-Waltrip, #17-Kenseth, # 41-Mears, #42-McMurray, #48-Johnson and #99-Edwards. #24-Gordon has to sit on pit road for 30 minutes. The drivers and cars need to sit on pit road, can’t go out to practice or work on the car.(Speed Channel’s Happy Hour practice coverage).(5-13-2005)
UPDATE: NASCAR held at least a dozen cars on pit lane before practice yesterday, penalizing the teams for being late to the prerace inspection line at Darlington Raceway last week. Jeff Gordon served the worst punishment, missing 26 minutes of practice. Jimmie Johnson, Scott Riggs, Carl Edwards, Michael Waltrip, Casey Mears, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jamie McMurray, Kyle Busch, Robby Gordon and Tony Stewart also were held and missed between 10-15 minutes of the session. “With all the weather that we had at Darlington, the schedule was shortened,” Jeff Gordon said. “With all the changes that we had to make in practice, we lost a lot of time and we paid the price big time for it. I understand what NASCAR’s doing. They need to keep the inspection line on time, but I think when you’ve got 11 or 12 cars, and top teams, that are late to the inspection line, there’s obviously a problem there beyond just the teams lagging behind.”(Richmond Times Dispatch)(5-14-2005)
