Joe Gibbs Racing has been caught with their pants down around their ankles or with their hands in the cookie jar. You pick your analogy. The point being they were in the wrong and now everybody knows.
After Saturday's Nationwide Series race in Michigan NASCAR took ten cars into their possession in order to place them on the chassis dynamometer to gauge everyone's horsepower. The cars they took were: the Fords of Jack Roush numbers 60 and 16, the Toyota of Todd Braun number 32, the Chevrolet's of JR Motorsports number 5 and 88, Phoenix Racing's number 1 and Richard Childress' number 2, the Dodges of Chip Ganassi number 40 and Joe Gibbs Racings number 20 and 18.
NASCAR started putting the cars on the dynamometers after the Nationwide race in Chicagoland when other competitors, specifically Clint Bowyer, repeatedly said that "a monkey could drive that 20 car and win."
So NASCAR wanted to determine if the Toyota's and the organization of Joe Gibbs Racing had a horsepower advantage. After determining that they did, NASCAR then implemented the tapered spacer which restricts airflow to the engine therefore eliminating horsepower.
What many believe is that NASCAR only mandated it to the Toyota teams, which is not the case. All teams of all makes were given the spacer, except the Toyotas were just a tad smaller than the others which eliminated 15 extra horsepower that they had.
The first race the spacer was applied at was O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indiana, which is a short-track so the horsepower effect really didn't come into play.
The true test was this weekend at the two-mile Michigan International Speedway.
And so after the race was complete NASCAR again wanted to check the horsepower numbers. That's when they discovered that the 20 car driven by Tony Stewart and the 18 car driven by Joey Logano had magnets that were placed under the accelerator. What that does is stop the gas pedal from going all the way to the floor and the result is a non-accurate reading of the power produced by the two cars.
- B/R Ticket Guide
In effect Joe Gibbs Racing and whomever may be responsible for placing the magnets, were playing the pity game.
However, they're receiving anything but pity. Team owner Richard Childress, "Their ass needs to be kicked out of there. They're shiftless. They (NASCAR) just need to do something." He went on to say "I'll say it's damn blatant. I'm surprised they got caught. When people get an advantage, they don't want to give it up and sometimes they go to extremes to keep from giving up an advantage, and that's just what they did."
NASCAR on FOX commentator Darrell Waltrip said "I would make them leave those magnets under the accelerator. Just tell them, 'OK, you want those magnets under there so they are going to stay there all the time.'"
There are so many questions swarming around this development since it broke on Sunday. For example, "Will this or should this taint Joey Logano?" And "Does this have anything to do with performance on the Cup side?" And my personal favorite, "Who knew about this and how high does it go?"
Now it's important to point out that what happened on Saturday had no effect on the performance in the race and it would have been a disadvantage. However, they still manipulated the rules and got caught. Plain and simple they were cheating.
Because of that they should be penalized and there are those who agree and those who don't. The people who say that Joe Gibbs Racing should not be penalized because what happened had no effect on the race or the outcome, think about this:
In 2004 Dale Earnhardt Jr. was penalized 25 championship points and $10,000 for saying a four letter word on national television. The crime he committed had nothing to do with the outcome of the race.
Also in 2004 Jimmie Johnson was fined $10,000 for covering up the Powerade bottles in victory lane at Pocono. Johnson is sponsored by Gatorade and didn't want the rival logo on TV. Once again his action had nothing to do with performance or the outcome of the race.
Does anyone see the trend here? If not, here's one more.
Last year Tony Stewart was fined 25 championship points and $25,000 for his 'BS' slip in victory lane at Indianapolis. His action, once again, had nothing to do with the outcome of the race.
The questions that should be asked are "What happens now?" and "Where do we go from here?"
NASCAR is clearly angry about this and if they want to stay consistent then the 18 and 20 teams need to be penalized in some way, whether in points or money. Or maybe even a forced vacation.
As for where do we go from here? We go on to Bristol where I'm sure we'll hear Brain Vickers, Kyle Busch and the many others from Toyota complain about being unfairly punished.
Sorry boys, I don't think you were punished I think you were stopped from taking over and dominating, which resulted in everyone except your fans from turning their televisions off in disgust.
Besides, what are you guys really complaining about anyway? You're still running well and winning, it's not as if you're finishing twenty-fifth each week. So just be thankful those days haven't arrived...yet.
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3 months ago
What is your excuse for Kyle winning when he drove the #5. How about the trucks. Are you going to say that he cheated then. You are a hater like the rest. Can't believe anything you see. Yes I am a fan and damn proud of it. I started watching Nascar only because of Kyle. At that time he wasn't working for Gibbs. How do you know maybe another team had something to do with this. But I think that no matter who is involved in this they should be fined and fired. I'm sure Joey isn't cheating.
3 months ago
The only thing I'm a hater of is when one team dominates and takes the parity out of the sport. It gets tiring turning on the TV week after week and seeing the same team win. Where's the excitment?
When Kyle was with Hendrick Motorsports and drove the 5 car did he have a season like he's having this year? No way. It came with the horsepower that Toyota has. "Can't believe anything you see." Well, actually I can't, when I see something like the season that Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota is having, then I tend to believe that it's too good to be true, and it obviously turned out to be the case.
Now, as for another team having something to do with this. That is the most idiotic thing I have ever heard. What it sounds like is you're trying to find an excuse because your team got caught cheating. Are you trying to tell me that another team went into the garage after the race, was lucky enough that everyone from JGR left two cars unattended, and then planted two magnets in the car? Yeah, that's exactly what happend.
Sure Joey Logano wasn't cheating, he wasn't the one who personally put the magnet in the car. BUT someone on his team did, which means that he was caught cheating.
And oh by the way, Kyle was caught a couple of times cheating in the number 5 car. But I guess you look pasted things like that.
from 3 months ago
You must have been in a tizzy while Chevrolet and HMS and Ford and Roush dominated the previous 5 seasons eh?
from 2 months ago
The thing is Kelly you are a hypocrite! If Jr was using rocket boosters to win you would have no issue with that. It is just that it is Kyle and Gibbs. What is disgusting is how Jr won every R/P race from 2001-2004, do you think that maybe NASCAR was letting him get away with a little bit better plate than the rest had? I certainly do, it was to appease the nation and to help heal after Sr's death. The 2001 Pepsi 400 was about as staged a race as they come. Golly Gee Jr wins 6 months after his father died, what a coinicedence. The thing is that when Jr cheats there is never any outcry, NASCAR may do some optics like a 25 point penalty or something but it is never much, when Jr wrecks someone there is never an outcry, when Jr passes the pace car never an outcry, when Jr jumps 6 cars before the start finish line that is just an honest mistake.
Before you can attempt to be an objective analyst you should leave your bias at the door...JMO
3 months ago
Very well conceived and executed . 5 Starz.
These cheating deals come and go, after 12 months they fade into the sunset...unless it's a Toyota team in the gray area.
"And oh by the way, Kyle was caught a couple of times cheating in the number 5 car. But I guess you look pasted things like that."
Apt comment...I haven't heard much noise out of HMS on this. Perhaps they have some guilt issues with the 'King of Gray' Chad Knaus in the shop.
Jack Roush hasn't a leg to stand on either and really should shut the hell up with the 'innovations' that slip out of the Roush-Fenway shops. I believe Cousin Carl was the first to be penalized this year for...a broken/missing bolt that resulted in the #99 becoming a 150 mph vacuum cleaner.
With Mark Martin's 1990 loss of a Cup Championship due to Jack's blatant cheating as a benchmark for carburetor/fuel system doodling, the RFR crews need to stay out of this deal and keep their heads bowed.
Let's compile a list of Crew Chiefs that have been fined and/or suspended inn the last 10 years and see who's missing, if any, from the list.
This magnet deal was nothing compared to some of the 'gray area' genius you can find in the back rooms of any shop in the Mooresville area.
Excellent piece Kelly, it should have gotten more comments, debate and front page play.
3 months ago
Right on Kelly. Toyota should never have been allowed to race in Nascar in the first place. An American Company they said, so its OK. B.S. They are no more American than the Emperor of Japan who surrendered in 1945 to end WW2. Now that it is offical that they cheated and very heavy fines have been inposed by Nascar Dave and L.J. must be crying elephant tears. Wake up boys, Toyota will do anything to win and embarass their rival's, GM, Ford and Dodge. Cheating is part of the Japanese way of life so why would think it would be any different when Toyota entered Nascar racing. Check into Toyotas history in the Automobile business in the U.S. and you will find a liteny of unscrupulous business practices and in many cases unlawful ways of trying to eliminate the competition. By the way Dave, when Rouch dominated a few years ago Nascar imposed spoiler changes to slow down the Fords and level the playing field. As Kelly has stated Busch was a nobody when driving for HMS and if Toyota was not outspending their rivals and cheating he would still be a nobody. It time for a few of the gutless so called stars of Nascar to step up and show Kyle the worm, what Nascar racing use to be like. Show him the wall, get him upside down, bump draft his ass off the track, intiminate him and then watch his cocky arragant attitude change. He was a punk last year and he is an even bigger punk this year. Where is Jimmy Spencer when we need him?
from 3 months ago
It's sentiments like these that make me embarrassed to call myself a NASCAR fan. Your blatant lack of respect for another culture, nevermind your flat-out ill will towards another human being, has no place in this sport or on this website. Get the fuck out.
Now, in an attempt to be more civil and discuss the article at hand: So Gibbs is having an excellent year. Get over it. I can guarantee that nobody here would be this worked up if JGR stayed with Chevy. Guess what, everyone? If you want to call yourself the best in the WORLD, you can't compete against only your countrymen forever. Toyota have worked their butts off and deserve the same respect and candor you afford to the Big Three. Yes, this was a blatant offense. But no, this was nothing more than somebody trying to make a valid point - the Toyota cars have been slowed down due to an American bias.
from 3 months ago
Good points jerry but please...spell check that bad boy before hitting submit.
*1: I can understand your anger at the Japanese industrial resurgence post WWII, it's an embarrassment for the great American Captains of Industry to overlook long term customer satisfaction and focus on short term profits over quality...as they say in the consumer demographics business...the cream always rises to the top regardless of the product.
*2: Cheating in NASCAR...and the great American, Wall Street Fortune 500 companies...Give me a list of teams and Crew Chiefs fined and suspended over the past decade...give me a list of U.S. industry CEO's fined and suspended over the past decade for unscrupulous book keeping. categorize them into nationalities, races and hair color...give me some numbers before you type, any numbers jerry. A quality rant like that deserves confirmation.
Research, research, research...that's why you don't WRITE on B/R jerry, you do no research, you have nothing to back your agenda. If your comment was an article here that research issue would dock 2 stars right off.
*3 Busch as a "Nobody"...this is your pièce de résistance du jour, mon petit bourgeois scribe!
At the age of 16 Kyle Busch finished in the Top 10, a ninth, in the first NASCAR CTS race he ever competed in.
At the age of 18 Kyle Busch finished 2nd in his very first Nationwide race at Charlotte.
At the age of 19 Kyle Busch had 5 Wins, 16 Top 5's, 22 Top 10's and 5 Poles in his first full season as a NASCAR driver.
At the age of 20 Kyle Busch took a Pole in his 8th Sprint Cup race and scored 2 wins as Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year and the youngest driver to ever win a race.
At the age of 21 Kyle Busch made the Chase with a win, 10 Top 5's, 18 Top 10's and finished 10th in points.
At the age of 22 Kyle Busch made the Chase with a win, 11 Top 5's, 20 Top 10's and finished 5th in points.
At the age of 23...Let's just skip this one to save you the embarrassment.
A NOBODY eh? I'll Take a NOBODY with those career achievements any day of the week.
At this point in his career Kyle Busch has been shown the wall, been up-side down a couple of times and bump drafted off the track as well, by the best that the NASCAR field has to offer.
Their failure has been in intimidating him or changing that "cocky arragant attitude"(spellcheck jerry?) that plays so well at NASCAR driver introductions.
He may be a 'Punk' but NASCAR needs him right now...they need him badly. He's the only reason, so far this season, to turn your TV on and watch a race.
You need Kyle Busch too jerry otherwise your xenophobia and hatred might be unrequited and you'd end up with a stroke.
You write fairly well jerry, you could do well here on B/R and there are writer's tools here to help you.
Come jump in the deep end jerry, come swim with the Sharks.
3 months ago
Last year when HMS was dominating talk of them "cheating" ran rampant on blogs and commentarties alike same when Roush dominated rumors ran rampant, nothing was ever proven and in this case with Gibbs it was proven, and the timing couldn't have been more convienent for any toyota hating-kyle busch bashing fans because it only gave them more ammuition to throw around. the penalites were severe as they should be they were caught cheating, no matter if it affected the outcome of the race or not, they cheated. Now Gibbs needs to come out and show they don't need to put magnets to affect post race outcome that they can win with the same horsepoer numbers as the rest of the field. As for the question does it go hand in hand with the cup side, theres no proof that it does. end of story. If other teams are so angry that toyota and gibbs have been" getting away" with this then they need to step up there engine programs in both the cup and nationwide series.
3 months ago
Chris, you don't have a clue. Bring back the draft and you go over there and fight them like I did, and watch your buddies die at their hands. You get the F out of this country, get your eyes slanted and have a great life.
from 3 months ago
That makes you around 70 something years old jerry.
Do you still hate the Germans, Chinese, Koreans and Vietnamese too?
I have the 'clue' you're talking about...don't throw the 'Combat Veteran' card out there until you do a morning formation and headcount troop.
You're not alone here.
from 3 months ago
"What do the gaw-darned Germans have to do with this???"
Jerry... why the hatred?
Lets go on back to the 1860's, us Southerners can hate on the Union for winning the Civil War and doing all the damage to the South that some places still aren't over... but it does no good.
All of yall remember that almost the entire vehicle is made in house when it comes to the Cup series. The chassis, body, and certainly the engine are all made in the JGR race shop. Toyota pays a lot to put their name on the car, just like M&M's or Budweiser or DuPont.
Kyle Busch is kicking tail this year. It isn't only about the car, he had dominant equipment fro HMS last year and couldn't do what he is doing this year... the kid has come into his own. Even Kurt warned us about his brothers talent years ago.
If you want to hate on Kyle, give us the real reason, like he is kicking Jr's ass, don't blame it on Toyota or JGR.
Oh Yeah - great piece Kelly, but shims on the accelerator for a post-race test have no impact on the race outcome. Also, lets talk about these crew chiefs and car chiefs who are banned from NASCAR now for this, yet Chad Knaus and Bob Osborne have done similar things and will be there this weekend - with me!
Going to Bristol to see Kyle win again!
Go Dawgs, Go Kyle! Sic em - woof woof woof
3 months ago
Just the slopeheads.
from 3 months ago
Coward.
3 months ago
I have done the " Research, research, research..." "" Perhaps some of us who've done this " Research, research, research " Had no idea how Las Vegas /J@@@ intended on cashing in prior to current season, In fact I had written way beyond Kyles sudden wins " dated back Dec . 23, 2007, I begin research on a 1987 horsepower Toyota engines..
If you want to hate on Kyle, give us the real reason, like he is kicking Jr's ass, don't blame it on Toyota or JGR.
***************************
I most certainly blame TOYOTA! I'm not a Kyle fan, nor do I dislike him, he better pray to God, he didn't actually know. I honestly don't care who believes it wasn't pure manipulating the viewers almost as if were a soap rating scale system. I will further add WTG Tony You are the Man! Tony Stewart is a honest man, notice each time vehicles were targeted, you heard the 20 car the 20 car @@@@@@
I truly believe Joey L had no idea and still doesn't realize why JG set him in 18 car during magnet findings, Come on magnets are very minor , I cannot wait until it all is revealed, Nope I'm not providing my research because it'll basically be viewed as what I've originally thought, I want fans to see it live on National TV for themselves ! Haha I suppose Kyles facial expression won't mean anything if he actually believed he didn't get any additional help. Anyone who was willing to RISK another drivers life for pure Las Vegas greedy ( AKA Mega millions lottos )) Come on you all surely knew, CITGO -------------
from 2 months ago
Huh?
2 months ago
I really liked this article Kelly. Thanks for sharing it. As for the comments on cheating. Its been said in NASCAR, if your not cheating, your not trying, and, Its only cheating if you get caught. HMS is the king of cheating for the last 10 years. All you have to do is look at the top. Rick Hendrick cheated and scammed the american public out of millions, never spent a day in prision, and had his extensive felony record pardoned by Bill Clinton on his last night in office. No doubt using part of the millions to pay for that pardon. Of course, its only my opinion.
2 months ago
I may be in the minority here but I am going to say why would you want ANYONE to know about your race car's horse power? That is where the sport lacks. If JGR found a loop hole in the rules and executed a game plan to maximize that grey why should they be punished? If a Toyota is making more HP than a Ford or a Dodge or a Chevy I guess there must be some creativity lacking from other teams. I dyno all my stuff you think for a second I am giving those results to anyone? Yeah sure I am. Just like I am going to give perfect setup secrets. Just does not happen. The creativity is at an all time low in the sport. I am not saying to go out and blatantly break your series rules. But I spend 3 weeks maybe more with the new rule books EVERY year. If I find something to call into question I ask the appropriate lead tech official what the exact ruling on something is going to be. If that leaves my options open I do it. You need to maximize your cars potential. Chevy,Ford and Dodge are just pissed off that Toyota may be getting a few more breaks just as they all have enjoyed in the past.
from 2 months ago
The Toyota engine package is brand new and GM/Ford haven't up-dated their packages for a couple of seasons now.
The new Chevrolet engine is on the loose now and things will even up as the season progresses.
These technology improvements come and go on a regular basis from brand to brand.
Every dawg has it's day.
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