Matt Kenseth's NASCAR Sprint Cup win at Kansas Speedway last Sunday
may have been tainted.
In a post-race inspection at NASCAR's Research and Development center, it was
determined that the connecting rods in Kenseth's Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota
failed to meet the minimum weight standards of 525 grams.
As a result, NASCAR, for the second straight week, has assessed major penalties
to one of Sprint Cup's most powerful teams.
--Crew chief Jason Ratcliff has been fined $200,000 and suspended from NASCAR
until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship
points events (a period of time that also includes the non-points NASCAR Sprint
All-Star Race) and placed on probation until Dec. 31.
--Car owner Joe Gibbs has lost 50 championship car owner points; the first-place
finish at Kansas Speedway will not earn bonus points toward the accumulated
aggregate car owner points total after the completion of the first 26 events of
the current season and will not be credited towards the eligibility for a car
owner wild-card position; has had the owner's license for the No. 20 NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series car suspended until the completion of the next six
championship points events, therefore being ineligible to receive championship
car owner points during that period of time.
--Kenseth has been docked 50 championship driver points; the Coors Light Pole
award at Kansas Speedway will not be allowed for eligibility into the 2014
Sprint Unlimited; the first-place finish at Kansas Speedway will not earn bonus
points toward the accumulated aggregate driver points total after the completion
of the first 26 events of the current season and will not be credited toward the
eligibility for a driver wild-card position.
Joe Gibbs Racing said in a statement that just one of the eight connecting rods
on the engine was ruled too light, and it plans to appeal the penalties.
The win was the second this season for Kenseth, who moved to Joe Gibbs Racing
from Roush Fenway Racing after the 2012 season, and the fourth for JGR in the
last six races. Kyle Busch has won the other two races for JGR this season.
Two weeks ago, NASCAR confiscated parts in the rear housing of the Penske Racing
cars of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano prior to the Texas race. Keselowski and
Logano were docked 25 points each. Their crew chiefs were fined $100,000 and
suspended for six races, along with five other top crew officials.
Those penalties are under appeal.
Meanwhile, NASCAR docked Camping World Truck Series driver Johnny Sauter 25
points because of a modified fuel cell found during inspection following last
Saturday's race at Kansas Speedway.
Sauter's crew chief, Joe Shear, was fined $10,000, suspended for the next four
races and placed on probation until Dec. 31.
The penalty knocked Sauter from a 12-point lead over Matt Crafton in the
standings to a tie with Jeb Burton in second, 13 points out.
Sauter has won two of the four trucks races this season and finished fifth at
Kansas.
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News Column
Matt Kenseth's Winning Car Fails NASCAR Inspection
April 24, 2013
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Source: (c)2013 The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) Distributed by MCT Information Services
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