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Crewmen on several NASCAR Sprint Cup teams might have been scratching their heads Wednesday and asking the same question: "Now just who was it who said we could use that radiator?"

That's because they all used an unapproved cooling system, leading to a total of $200,000 in fines and dozens of lost points for four different mid-pack NASCAR teams that found themselves in trouble with inspectors in the post-qualifying inspection line at Texas Motor Speedway Friday.

The stock car racing sanctioning body fined Robert "Bootie" Barker, crew chief of the No. 13 team, and Frank Kerr, crew chief of the No. 47 team, $75,000 each and placed both on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 for violating several sections of the rule book, including using an unapproved cooling system, adding unapproved weight and using unapproved radiator mounts.

Car owners Robert Germain (No. 13) and Tad Geschickter (No. 47) each were penalized 50 owner points, while drivers Max Papis (13) and Marcos Ambrose (47) were docked 50 driver points each.

Rodney Childers, crew chief of the No. 00 Toyota, and Pat Tryson, crew crew of the No. 56 team, both owned by Michael Waltrip Racing, each were fined $25,000 and put on probation until Dec. 31 for violating the same sections of the rule book.

 

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When the Cup Series heads to Bristol this weekend, it marks the fifth race on the 2010 schedule.  It will be the final race that the top 35 in the owners standings from 2009 will have a guaranteed starting spot.  The following weekend at Martinsville, the 2010 owners points will decide who is in and who is out.  Bristol will be crucial for those who are floating right around that 35th spot in the standings.

Those who are on the outside looking in right now include Kevin Conway, Boris Said, Robby Gordon, and Max Papis.  A good run at Bristol for any of these drivers could mean the difference between racing and going home at Martinsville and beyond.  For Said, Gordon, and Papis who all have limited sponsorship, the idea of not having a guaranteed starting spot could drastically affect the health of their race teams and their ability to continue competing.

The drivers who are in currently, but are dangerously close to being out, include Mike Bliss, Travis Kvapil, Brad Keselowski, David Gilliland, Sam Hornish, Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman, and Marcos Ambrose.  A bad finish at Bristol, combined with some good runs by the competition, could knock any of these drivers out of the top 35 and that vital guaranteed starting position.

Two drivers who stand to benefit following Bristol are Mike Bliss and Scott Speed.  Speed is very solidly in the top 35 (currently 12th) after a difficult 2009 season left him having to race his way in to the first five of 2010.  But his team has rose to the occasion this season, and their performance has improved markedly.  Bliss currently sits in the final guaranteed spot in 35th, which, if he could keep it would be a huge boost to his Tommy Baldwin Racing team.  This team continues to run severely underfunded, but a locked in spot in every race could help this team secure more sponsorship.

Bristol is always an exciting race anyway, filled with drama from start to finish.  And this season’s spring stop in Thunder Valley will be no different.  But if the usual story lines don’t grab you, take a look down the leaderboard a ways.  You will definitely find a tension filled race for many teams./

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Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It wasn't the team with the biggest budget, most famous driver lineup or highest pre-race expectations.

But after 24 hours of steady, careful, pedal-to-the-metal effort, the first-year, first-race Action Express Racing team led the mighty TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing team across the finish line by less than a minute to claim the Rolex 24 at Daytona trophy on Sunday afternoon.

Action Express driver Mike Rockenfeller took the lead in the No. 9 Porsche-V8 Riley when Ganassi driver Justin Wilson pitted unexpectedly with less than three hours remaining, convinced there was a problem with the team's No. 01 BMW Riley. After a five-minute once-over in the Daytona International Speedway garage, the team couldn't find anything obviously wrong and sent the car back on track -- two laps down and forced to try to play catch-up.

It's the second consecutive runner-up effort in the Grand Am Series sportscar season-opener for the Ganassi team, which won three straight from 2006-2008. Including the 52-second differential on Sunday, the team has lost the last two Rolex 24-hour races by less than a minute.

 

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