Pocky's Paddock
A NASCAR BLOG BY Bob Pockrass
Openness should carry over to NASCAR's R&D Center
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – NASCAR’s garage and technical inspection area is one of incredible openness. Anyone in the garage can go look at other cars and can watch prerace and postrace technical inspections.
It would be good if teams could go do that at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C., this week when the Hendrick Motorsports cars of Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson are measured.
There are too many non-believers in the garage, those who believe that the Hendrick teams got away with something and did more than push to the edge of the boundaries with their cars at Dover.
It’s hard to say. And NASCAR took a step in credibility that it wanted to police the sport by taking those cars after the Kansas race to be checked. But now NASCAR needs to go a step further and either make video available or let people in to watch the Hendrick cars get measured.
NASCAR will always have judgment calls that impact its credibility. When it has a chance to show this is not judgment, it needs to do so. This is one of those times.
Bob Pockrass
Bob Pockrass began covering NASCAR in 1992, primarily covering short-track racing and events. He has been an associate editor at NASCAR Scene since 2003.
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Comments
7 responses to "Openness should carry over to NASCAR's R&D Center". Post a Comment.
melanschool said:
Oct 5, 2009 at 10:23 AMI'd rather see all 12 Chase teams taken to R&D after each race.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSTP43FAN said:
Oct 5, 2009 at 2:15 PMOpenness is less the problem than the perfunctory and insincere nature of punishments for star teams. NASCAR can establish credibility again by nailing Hendrick for cheating with a punishment that actually damages Hendrick's competitive muscle. The punishments for smaller teams always leave them crippled; it's time for the same to happen to Hendrick.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAndi said:
Oct 5, 2009 at 7:48 PMI would too #1.
Report as Abuse#2...the punishments are the same. Doesn't matter rather its a small or bigger team. It just hurts the smaller teams because they don't have the resources that they don't.
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» Confirm Abuse Reporttinynascarfan said:
Oct 6, 2009 at 9:39 AMit makes to much sense for nascar to let the fans know what is going on, so they will keep treating the fans like uneducated dummies!
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» Confirm Abuse Reporttinynascarfan said:
Oct 6, 2009 at 9:40 AMwhy dont they show pit road speed on the cars while going down pit lane? because nascar has to have a way to punish teams for other things?
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSTP43FAN said:
Oct 6, 2009 at 5:38 PMANDI - the punishments ARE NOT the same. NASCAR goes out of its way to put the benefit of doubt on the big teams like Hendrick, and whatever fines they hand down never hurt. It is time the teams like Hendrick get hit with punishments that hurt.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportphillipwafford said:
Oct 8, 2009 at 7:07 PMEven if they made video's they could rig that also.do it at the track the same as they do pre-race inspections even if it takes all night.#4 #5 tinynascarfan you hit the nail on the head. I'm not from Missouri but show me anyway! ! ! ! ! I really don't know how they could define the line as to who gets the bigger fines but I'm sure hen-car could find a way around that too, just as the 4 team rule has. as soon as Stewart/Hendrick finds the money [sponsors] there will be 8 Hendrick cars on the track and they let George Gillette ruin a couple of more teams [watch out Roush he's coming in the back door] we won't have any thing but Hendrick cars on the track maybe that would make racing better, watching Hendrick cars beat themselves. who but Hendrick/Roush has the money to buy not one but two pieces measuring equip. for their shop let hen-car furnish it. that would help keep the cost down such as the COT car was supposed to do.ever week they still bring a NEW car to the track. which this car??? was supposed to do, cut down the inventory But Carl Long has to run a used engine.016 over on bore gets fined 200,000- end of racing for him! ! ! another Dodge out of running! ! way to go hen-car! ! real sorry your 5th car with Brad Crash did'nt finish the job with Juan p m but he did a fine job trying
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