Childress in full
So Todd Berrier is going to have to sit out four races after all. (Here is the AP version; ignore the "staff report" tag.) David Poole's version is here.
You can argue all day about whether the Commission did the right thing and whether NASCAR is being fair or favoring one team over another. (That's exactly what some folks are doing over at one of the thatsracin.com blogs.)
My favorite thing so far is Richard Childress' screed, er, statement that he issued yesterday after the Commission ruling.
Here's Childress:
"It is impossible for me to describe how disappointed I am with NASCAR's penalty and appeal process. First of all, what Todd Berrier did was wrong and we deserve to be penalized. But I think suspending him for four weeks, in light of everything else that has happened in the past several weeks, is wrong.
"The infraction took place during qualifying and we were sent to the back of the field to start the race. Penalizing Kevin Harvick, who knew nothing about the infraction before the fact, is also wrong. NASCAR's decision to deduct driver points, whether it's Kevin Harvick or any other driver, does an injustice to the sponsors and everyone involved with the racing organization.
"There is no consistency in NASCAR's penalty and appeal process. It's black and white. You're either legal or you're not."
Wow. I'm betting Childress won't be getting a gold star from NASCAR's for this one.
Comments (6)
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RC is right, either you are legal or you are not; and when the violation is premeditated such as altering the fuel cell the penalty cannot be TOO stiff. The next time the NASCAR inspectors find something on one of his cars in pre-race as severe as this they should tell him to pack up his car and go home.
What disturbs me the most is that he doesn't seem concerned about tampering with a safety issue such as a fuel cell. Especially after big E was killed in his car 4 years ago and the seat belt broke if I remember correctly. I realize that he was killed due to other causes, but if anyone would respect safety I would think it would be Richard Childress.
Posted on March 31, 2005 3:22 PM
Thanks for mentioning the fuel cell, Mark. That's one of the things Dustin said to me way back when all of this broke as a way of speculating why NASCAR came down so hard.
NASCAR's leaders have long memories, and one of those ugly early memories from back in the days when the cars carried regular fuel tanks is unconscious drivers burning alive in their wrecked cars. Those are days that NASCAR (or any race fan, for that matter) would want to revisit.
Posted on March 31, 2005 4:34 PM
I'm not so certain Harvick didn't know about the fuel cell. A driver can feel the fuel load lightening up during a run. He had to notice that there wasn't much in there and the rule says you have to qualify with a full tank. So I don't know, RC just needs something to complain about I guess. He should be more focused on getting his teams back into the top 10 and not so much on his wine.
Posted on April 1, 2005 12:42 AM
Hard to say what Harvick knew, Matt.
I think the No. 29 team put extra weight on the car so it would pass if NASCAR weighed it. That said, Harvick probably knows the difference between 100 extra pounds of lead in the frame vs. 100 pounds of fuel in the tank.
And I agree that RC needs to get going. The No. 29 team has been one of my biggest let-downs since Harvick's rookie season.
Posted on April 1, 2005 6:00 PM
I remember reading a quote later after qualifying and Harvick said something to the affect of "if we ran a bit slower they never would have known" and that makes me think he knew something was up.
Posted on April 1, 2005 7:32 PM
Good point, Matt. Maybe he did know.
At least Harvick had the good sense for once to keep his yap shut and not say anything more than that. If Berrier had just apologized profusely, he might be working next week.
Posted on April 1, 2005 7:34 PM