Is it really a surprise anymore when you hear on the news that another NASCAR racer was caught trying to cheat? Well, this time, there were five racers who were caught cheating, and it probably could not have come at a worse time for them.
A weekend before the season opens, four of the NASCAR teams learned about the consequences of cheating when they were suspended, fined and docked points for “improper aerodynamic adjustments” made to their vehicles.
These four unknowns (to those people to do not obsess over the “sport”) preceded one of the more popular Nextel Cup racers: Michael Waltrip, who was also caught cheating.
I was watching my daily Sportscenter on Tuesday when a story came up about how Waltrip was caught with an illegal substance within the intake manifold-the part of the engine that supplies the fuel mixture to the cylinders-during a pre-qualifying inspection on Feb. 11.
On any normal occasion, I would have turned the channel the second I heard the announcer mention the word NASCAR. (I apologize to those people who enjoy watching others drive around a track hundreds of times, but we all know that the only reasons people go to watch the races are to tailgate and witness the rare, but exciting, crashes).
On this particular day, though, I felt like giving NASCAR a chance, as I generally like to keep up with the scandals involving drugs or cheating.
It turns out that after three days of examination, the substance was determined to be a fuel additive designed to enhance horsepower in a car that was struggling with speed.
Bill France, the third generation of the family that has overseen NASCAR since its inception, said the cheating situation should be handled with urgency and force.
“It will be undeniable that when you keep pushing the system and test the integrity of the sport, we will do whatever it takes,” France said in one interview.
“That doesn’t mean you go out and get somebody in the electric chair, but it does mean you step up the penalties to a level that makes it a true deterrent.”
And Lord knows, it’s about time. France prides himself on providing the kind of racing that the audience wants, including tweaking the rules of races as he saw fit on the day of the race.
But, when racers are repeatedly caught trying to cheat, even the boss has to lay down the law.
And, he did.
The crew chiefs for former Nextel series champ Matt Kenseth and racer Kasey Kahne got slapped with four-race suspensions and $50,000 fines, and the racers will start their Nextel Cup title chase 50 points in the hole.
The crew chiefs for Scott Riggs and Elliott Sadler, whose “improper aerodynamic adjustments” were discovered in a pre-qualifying inspection, were suspended for two races, fined $25,000 and docked 25 points.
Little did people know that, as inspectors were busting multiple racers for cheating, France was, at the same time, giving the annual “state-of-the-sport” speech to a bunch of enthusiastic NASCAR supporters about how bright the future looks for NASCAR this season. Doesn’t that seem a little ironic?
