April 14, 2015
- Appeals panel reduces penalty for #33 team: The National Motorsports Appeals Panel today heard and considered the appeal of a P4 penalty issued on March 25, 2015 to Joseph Falk (owner) and Richard Labbe (crew chief), relative to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series vehicle #33 at Auto Club Speedway. The penalty concerns the following sections in the 2015 NASCAR rule book:
12.1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing;
20.14.2: Rear Suspension: Truck Trailing Arm
E. The left and right side truck trailing arms must be mounted to the truck trailing arm mounting brackets using a one-piece, minimum ¾ inch diameter magnetic steel bolt.
F. The horizontal centerline of the highest truck trailing arm mounting bolt must not be higher than the top surface of the truck trailing arm crossmember, at the respective truck trailing arm mounting bracket, when the vehicle is at inspection orientation.
INFRACTION: The ¾ inch diameter magnetic steel truck trailing arm mounting bolt was not installed horizontally.
J.Truck trailing arm must conform to the following drawing as specified in the NASCAR rule book: Rear Suspension-Truck Trailing Arm: A-008-00183-14 Rev.C
INFRACTION: Truck trailing arm monoball sleeve does not meet the drawing specifications. Sleeve is required to be minimum .125 inch minimum thick x two inches wide sleeve machined for press fit of .750 I.D. or .875 I.D. monoball assembly.
20.3.3.2.1: Truck Trailing Arm Crossmember Assembly:Truck Trailing Arm Mounting Brackets
B. Truck trailing arm mounting brackets must be constructed of magnetic steel flat plate with a minimum thickness of 0.169 inch.
INFRACTION: Truck trailing arm mounting bracket adapter was machined from Aluminum solid.
20.20: Assembled Vehicle Overall Rules
A. Except in cases explicitly permitted in the NASCAR rules, installation of additional components and/or modifications of existing components to affect the aerodynamic properties of the vehicle will not be permitted, including but not limited to, safety systems, chassis and roll cage, suspension, steering systems, brake systems, heat shields, body fillers, body sealers, filler panels, drivetrain components and exhaust components.
The original penalty assessed included a $50,000 fine, three-race suspension and probation through Dec. 31 to Labbe and the loss of 25 championship car owner points to Falk. The Appellants (Joseph Falk and Richard Labbe) appealed both penalties. Upon hearing the testimony, the decisions of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel are:
· The Appellants violated one of the rules set forth in the penalty notice, specifically with regards to the aluminum component, but that the other infractions are subject to interpretation.
· The panel amends the original penalty levied by NASCAR to a P2 penalty as follows:
o Loss of 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship car owner points for Joseph Falk
o $20,000 fine, three-race suspension (two of which have already been served) plus any non-championship races or special events which might occur during that time period, and probation through Dec. 31 for crew chief Richard Labbe.
The panel consisted of the following three individuals: Mr. Russell Hackett, Mr. Lake Speed, Mr. John White.
(NASCAR)(4-14-2015) - Jeb Burton adds sponsor: BK Racing and Estes Express Lines have partnered together for the 2015 season as a sponsor on the #26 Toyota of Jeb Burton, starting at Richmond International Raceway. Estes Express Lines, a familiar name in the NASCAR community, and returning sponsor of the Rookie of the Year Contender, will start its partnership with BK Racing under the lights for the Toyota Owners 400. Estes, a top-quality transportation company, began their racing journey in the Camping World Truck Series in 2014. Estes’ drive and dedication to their customers falls directly in line with the NASCAR mission to provide excellence.(BK Racing)(4-14-2015)
- Kyle Busch to meet with media: #18-Kyle Busch, injured in an accident during the Daytona XFINITY Series race, will meet with members of the media on Wednesday afternoon. The press conference will be shown live at NASCAR.com.(4-14-2015)
- Testing at Kentucky: Eight NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers and teams are scheduled to participate in the April 15 open test at Kentucky Speedway ahead of the track’s Quaker State 400 in July. The open test will be preceded by a closed Goodyear tire test on April 13 and 14 with one team each from the following organizations: Chip Ganassi Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Roush Fenway Racing. On April 15, #16-Greg Biffle, #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #20-Matt Kenseth, #22-Joey Logano, #1-Jamie McMurray, #10-Danica Patrick, #31-Ryan Newman and #9-Sam Hornish Jr. are scheduled to participate in the open test with April 16 serving as a rain date before the Sprint Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend.(NASCAR.com)(4-10-2015)
UPDATE: #16-Greg Biffle, #1-Jamie McMurray, #55-Brett Moffitt and #31-Ryan Newman are taking part in a Goodyear tire test Monday and Tuesday at Kentucky Speedway. There will be an open test there Wednesday. Each Sprint Cup organization can have one car test there. This is the second of three Goodyear tire tests this month. Teams were at Richmond International Raceway last week. The month’s third tire test is scheduled for April 27-29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Teams that will have one car at that tire test will be Hendrick Motorsports, Furniture Row Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports and BK Racing.(NBC Sports)
AND Jamie McMurray provided a glimpse of NASCAR’s new high tech dashboard during a test at Kentucky Speedway. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver sent out a series of Tweets on Monday while taking part in a Goodyear tire test that gave a couple views of what the new dashboard might look like when it’s implemented. The dashboard has the ability to monitor a variety of data including lap times and tire pressure as well as keeping drivers informed on other items during pit stops. NASCAR has stated at some point the information gathered through the new system would be available to fans and offer an interactive way to monitor a car’s performance. In fact NASCAR rule book states the a digital dash display “may be used at all Events after August 5, 2015. Digital dash display use will not be permitted before August 5, 1015. Effective January 1, 2016, a digital dash display must be used at all Events.”(Motor Racing Network)(4-14-2015) - Gordon wants NASCAR to eliminate pit road timing lines UPDATE: Friday #24-Jeff Gordon was asked about the increased number of penalties issued to teams this season:
Jeff Gordon: “I think the camera system speaks for itself. It’s black & white if you want to put it that way. When things roll out of the box or guys leave over the wall too soon or you drive through too many boxes, it’s going to bust you. And so it’s made all of us have to be that much cleaner and do our jobs that much better and pay more attention to more things than we used to. That didn’t have anything to do with what I did last week [when he got caught for speeding late in the race at Martinsville]. That was just us trying to take advantage of speed lines. I think that’s the next step. We’ve got to get rid of these speed lines. It doesn’t make any sense. The speed limit is the speed limit. You should never be able to break the speed limit. You should carry the speed limit all the way down pit road. What we do is find pit stalls to try to get around that. So we’re ramping up and slowing down and that’s what got us in Martinsville. We were just too aggressive with it.”(Team Chevy Racing)(4-11-2015)
UPDATE: Jeff Gordon’s suggestion for changing the way NASCAR officials police speeds on pit road has merit, according to at least one NASCAR official, but it’s unlikely a new system will be adopted anytime soon. “The timing loops really play into our current timing and scoring system, so we believe it’s the most fair system to have today,” Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said Monday. “But as we look forward … and as we integrate our timing and scoring system potentially with the Pro System and a lot of the new technology at the race track, I think you could see us evolve to that potentially in the future … But (Gordon’s) right in terms of something we want to work together on in the future and continue to improve upon.”(NASCAR.com)(4-14-2015) - Nature Blast sponsoring Hornish: Expanding their relationship with Richard Petty Motorsports, Nature Blast announced they are taking their partnership to the next level. The cleaning supply company will serve as the primary sponsor for the #9 Ford and driver Sam Hornish Jr. during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 19. Nature Blast is a cutting-edge company that produces cleaning products for home and professional use, all of which are made in America and eco-friendly. All Nature Blast products adorn the ECO logo as certified green products, which address the environmental, safety and health concerns facing today’s households by offering products with low toxicity and VOC’s, readily bio-degradable in ready to use formulas. The company was an associate sponsor of Hornish and the #9 team during the Daytona 500 and witnessed the power of RPM and Hornish. Nature Blast has already seen the benefits of their partnership on the B2B front by forming a new relationship with SHOP.COM. Kicking off Bristol race weekend, Nature Blast products will now be sold on SHOP.COM. To celebrate this exciting news, SHOP.COM will be featured on the #9 Nature Blast Ford.(Richard Petty Motorsports)(4-14-2015)
- FanVision renews deal with NASCAR: FanVision, the in-venue technology and content provider used at professional sporting events across the country, announced a four-year extension of an existing commercial license agreement with NASCAR. FanVision will remain NASCAR’s exclusive handheld television in-venue race content broadcaster through the 2019 season. FanVision device and services offer fans customizable access to the live race broadcast, multiple in-car camera feeds, instant replays, in-depth statistics, and a digital scanner to listen to drivers and crews. Fans can rent or buy their own FanVision device trackside at any one of the company’s eight retail locations at every race.(FanVision)(4-14-2015)
- Top 10 Driver Ratings at Bristol Motor Speedway:
#20-Matt Kenseth 103.4
#18-Kyle Busch 100.0
#24-Jeff Gordon 99.9
#2-Brad Keselowski 98.6
#16-Greg Biffle 93.5
#48-Jimmie Johnson 91.9
#4-Kevin Harvick 91.6
#41-Kurt Busch 91.6
#42-Kyle Larson 91.6
#11-Denny Hamlin 90.1
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2014 races (20 total) among active drivers at Bristol Motor Speedway. Formula combining the following categories: Win, Finish, Top-15 Finish, Average Running Position while on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish. Maximum: 150 points per race.<
See an explanation how the Driver Rating is calculated at NASCAR.com.(NASCAR) - Sponsor renews with Cope for Bristol: Nature Nate’s Honey buzzes on board the Derrike Cope Racing #70 Camaro as the primary sponsor for the fastest half mile in the world, Bristol. Serving nature’s sweetest nectar, Nature Nate’s Honey is 100% Pure, Raw & Unfiltered, the way nature intended. Nature Nate’s is a Texas company that prides itself in selling honey that is entirely sourced by American bees, encouraging beekeeping practices that eliminate pesticides, antibiotics and adulterated honey.(Derrike Cope Racing), see an image of the car on the #70 team paint schemes page.(4-14-2015)
- FedEx, Autism Speaks and Dover International Speedway renew sponsorship agreement:FedEx Corp., Autism Speaks and Dover International Speedway announce their renewed collaboration for the “FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, May 31, 2015. This marks the fifth year the three have worked together to raise awareness for an important cause. With its return as title sponsor of the “FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks,” FedEx continues to maintain a strong presence in NASCAR, including their primary sponsorship of the #11 FedEx Toyota Camry, driven by Denny Hamlin and fielded by Joe Gibbs Racing. FedEx, Autism Speaks and the Speedway are working to finalize additional elements of the race weekend, but announce the return of the popular Autism Speaks Day at the Races program. This special event returns for the fourth year and provides the opportunity for those on the autism spectrum and their families to attend a NASCAR race in a safe environment. The ticket package includes pre-race appearances by NASCAR drivers and personalities; brief presentations by educational speakers in the morning; food and drink; seating in the air-conditioned grandstands at the Monster Mile, which offers great views of the race along the backstretch of the track; and much more. A reserved area near their seats provides a quiet zone, with muted lighting and sound, allows attendees to take a break from the race and crowds when necessary. The room includes comfortable seating, games, and video screens to help fans keep up with the races or watch family friendly movies. This marks the ninth straight year that Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization, will partner with Dover International Speedway to help raise funds and awareness for the cause throughout the weekend. Autism Speaks will once again be represented by drivers in all three national touring series, who will feature decals on their cars throughout the weekend. This is something that has taken place in previous race weekends at Dover, with 67 drivers participating in 2014.(Dover International Speedway)(4-14-2015)
- Bristol Motor Speedway mobile app available: Bristol Motor Speedway guests attending the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes will be able to stay up to date on every aspect of the race weekend activities with the Speedway’s new mobile app for iPhone and Android users. The free app will be updated real-time with event schedules, ticket information, the latest news, entertainment options, photos, maps, directions, as well as live audio of race broadcasts. The new app is available on iTunes and Google Play by searching Bristol Motor Speedway. Guests need to register in the application to gain access to the full feature set and communications.(BMS)(4-14-2015)
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