Record penalty? Illegal bleeder valves on the #38

[DeeDee]

illegal bleeder valves on the #38 at pocono? Update: Record penalty? sources tell sirius nascar radio's sirius speedway with dave moody that nascar discovered clandestine [secrecy or concealed] air pressure bleeder valves on the tires of travis kvapil's #38 front row motorsports ford sunday at pocono raceway. Following the rain delay, nascar officials reportedly observed two soft tires on the rear of kvapil's car and held him from rolling back onto the track for the start of the race. Closer examination of those tire and wheel assemblies allegedly revealed illegal bleeder valves, which purge excess air pressure from the tires as it accumulates under race conditions. If confirmed, the team would likely face a major nascar penalty, since tires are considered to be one of the sanctions "untouchable" items, along with engines and fuel.(sirius speedway)(6-8-2010)
update: after yesterday's story about front row's possible infraction at pocono, [nascar insiders] are hearing today that the penalty from nascar could be the biggest ever handed down. When nascar makes the announcement later today or tomorrow, expect the penalty to include a $250,000 fine and 300 driver and owner points for travis kvapil and owner bob jenkins. A suspension for crew chief steven lane will also be included. This penalty tops the sanctions handed down last season to carl long's team after his engine was discovered to be too large at charlotte. No word yet on how this will affect the team's status moving forward. Expect the team to appeal the decision. (nascar insiders)(6-8-2010)

ouch!!!!!!!!!!

[DeeDee]

UPDATE 2: NASCAR has issued penalties, suspensions and fines to the #38 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as a result of rules infractions committed during last Sunday's event at Pocono Raceway. The team was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-10.7J (unapproved modification to valve stem hardware) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book. As a result, crew chief Steve Lane has been fined $100,000, suspended for the next 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup events, suspended from NASCAR until Sept. 15 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Car chief Richard Bourgeois and tire specialist Michael Harrold have also been suspended from the next 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup events, suspended from NASCAR until Sept. 15 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Driver Travis Kvapil and owner Doug Yates have been penalized with the loss of 150 driver and 150 owner points, respectively.(NASCAR)(6-9-2010)
APPEAL: Front Row Motorsports supports NASCAR in its efforts to enforce competition rules and to maintain integrity throughout the sport. Therefore, Front Row accepts that NASCAR must penalize the team for a rules infraction regarding valve stem caps on the #38 car at Pocono Raceway on June 6. "We take the rules of this sport very seriously, and we support NASCAR in its enforcement of those rules," said Bob Jenkins, team owner. "It was not our intent to put unapproved valve stem caps on our car at Pocono, a track where such a maneuver would clearly not provide any advantage. We are conducting our own internal investigation to determine how those parts got into our inventory and onto our car last weekend. "While we recognize we have to pay for our mistake, this was an unintentional, isolated incident," Jenkins continued. "We plan to immediately submit an appeal through NASCAR's formal appeal process as outlined by the NASCAR rule book." The team's three entries will compete this weekend at Michigan International Speedway.(Breaking Limits)
OWNERS POINTS: The loss of 150 owners points drops the #38 team to 36th in owners points and out of the top-35 by 66 points. #7-Robby Gordon moves up into 35th in owners points, 66 points ahead of the #38, so Gordon now has a guaranteed starting spot at Michigan and the #38 team doesn't. #26-David Stremme's team is still 37th, but is not only 87 points out of the top 35. Been told that the suspensions and fines could be deferred but the points penalty goes in effect immediately, although it could be rescinded in the appeal process. See the updated Owners Points Standings on my Owners Points Standing page.(6-9-2010)

~jayski

[TeamBlueOval]

Someone wasn't paying very close attention if this was really an "accident." I tend to believe they thought they were going to get away with it... just when they were all 3 in the top-35 securely after the 7 missed Pocono and they go and screw it up!

[DeeDee]

Front Row Motorsports to appeal penalties: The Front Row Motorsports #38 team. Crew chief Steve Lane was fined $100,000 and suspended for 12 weeks, along with car chief Richard Bourgeois and tire specialist Michael Harrold. Driver Travis Kvapil and car owner Doug Yates were docked 150 points each after the infractions [illegal valve stem caps] were discovered at Pocono. Team co-owner Bob Jenkins took responsibility for the "unintentional" mistake and plans to appeal the penalty. The violation was found following a rain delay in last Sunday's race. Kvapil's rear tires were almost flat, and NASCAR discovered that the valve stem caps on the tires had been altered to allow air to gradually leak out -- an act that would help the car with its speed during a long run. Though Jenkins recognizes the need to discipline the team, he believes the penalties were "excessive." [Supposedly Lane has been released from the team] "It was obvious to me, and I think to others, that there was no intent," Jenkins said. "Obviously it is a big fine and it is a lot of points. ... I understand there should be a fine, but I felt that 12-week suspensions and that level of points are pretty high." Jenkins pointed to the timing of the infraction, early in the race, as evidence the mistake was innocent. "If you look at the specifics of it, it just doesn't make sense," Jenkins said.(Associated Press)(6-12-201)

~jayski

[DeeDee]

Front Row Motorsports Names Burns Interim Crew Chief: Front Row Motorsports named Brian Burns interim crew chief for the #38 team for the race weekend at Michigan International Speedway. He has served as the team's engineer since the beginning of the 2009 season. Burns takes the place of Steven Lane, who is serving a NASCAR-imposed suspension for rule infractions at last weekend's Sprint Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway.(Breaking Limits)(6-11-2010)

~jayski

[DeeDee]

Kvapil forced to change focus after Pocono penalty
Driver fights to make race at Michigan; team to appeal
By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
June 11, 2010
09:09 PM EDT



BROOKLYN, Mich. -- As it continued to sprinkle over a soggy Michigan International Speedway on Friday afternoon, Travis Kvapil had decidedly mixed feelings.

A washout of Sprint Cup qualifying would guarantee him a spot in Sunday's Heluva Good! 400. At the same time, Kvapil was willing to go out and gamble.



"I guess you'd take the guaranteed spot," Kvapil said. "If it rains out, that's money in the bank. But I feel like we could probably qualify better than starting 36th or 37th in the points. If it does get rained out, you take it. But I wouldn't be afraid to qualify, either. We were one of the top two or three go-or-go-home cars there in practice, so I feel pretty confident we wouldn't have any trouble getting in the race, but you never know if something goes wrong."

This has been an eventful week for Kvapil and the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford team, particularly when it comes to rain.

NASCAR officials found illegal valve caps on the car before the field took the green flag after a rain delay at Pocono last weekend. That resulted in a $100,000 fine, a 12-week suspension for crew chief Steve Lane, car chief Richard Bourgeois and tire specialist Michael Harrold, and perhaps, most importantly, a 150-point driver and owners' points deduction.

That means Kvapil is now in 36th place in owners' points, 66 behind Robby Gordon for the final guaranteed starting spot. And that means having to qualify for the race on speed. In a 70-minute practice session ended prematurely by a heavy shower, Kvapil admitted the team had a clear focus.

"One hundred percent just making qualifying runs and trying to get all the speed out of the car," Kvapil said. "Obviously, we're having to qualify for the race on Sunday and kind of having to worry about race setups [Saturday]. It went pretty well. We had decent speed and the car drove OK. Depending on what the weather does here, if we have a chance, we might try to make a couple of adjustments to the car before qualifying.

"We're solely focused on getting qualified here."

Team general manager Jerry Freeze has the utmost confidence in Kvapil's ability under pressure.

"We had the same situation at Texas this year where he had to qualify," Freeze said. "He had to do it at Homestead last year on a similar type track to Michigan. Michigan has been a great track for Travis in the past. I think he has two Truck Series wins, so he has a lot of confidence here."

Kvapil did qualify on time, posting a speed of 186.191 mph to cover the 2-mile oval in 38.670 seconds. He'll roll off in the 34th starting position.

Kvapil completed a total of seven laps in Friday's practice, with a quick lap of 185.362 mph. That was good enough to place him 26th on the leaderboard, trailing only Joe Nemechek and Bill Elliott of those cars in the same position of having to qualify on speed. Still, Kvapil said rain Friday isn't nearly as critical as losing Saturday's practice sessions to Mother Nature. Getting back on the track to work on a race setup is imperative.

"It's very important," Kvapil said. "That's kind of what hurts the guys outside of the top 35, is a day like [Friday]. If we were in the top 35, we'd spend most of practice working on race trim, maybe the entire practice, just getting a leg up for Saturday and Sunday. When you're outside of the top 35, you're not even thinking about the race setup until 5 p.m. [Friday]."

A Saturday washout would put Kvapil's team in a bind. The forecast right now calls for scattered thunderstorms and warmer temperatures.

"If practice got rained out [Saturday], it would be a pretty big setback for us," Kvapil said. "We'd have to really rely on our teammates and just kind of look back at races earlier in the year, how much the changes we made from practice and qualifying to the race, and look at that differential and use that information."

If he doesn't get any more practice time, would Kvapil consider putting a Fontana setup on the car for Sunday's race?

"That's probably the closest," Kvapil said. "But even for our team, it's a different race car and so much has changed from two or three weeks into the season until now. We kind of have a trend of how much you change the car from qualifying to the race, so we would probably go along those lines and try and start there. Hopefully a couple of cautions would come early, if we needed to work on it."

http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/head...ual/index.html