5 Nationwide teams' qualifying times disallowed
By Lee Montgomery - Associate Editor
Saturday, February 16, 2008
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The qualifying times for five Nationwide Series teams were disallowed Friday night after NASCAR found illegal aerodynamic modifications to their cars.
Four of the drivers – Cale Gale, Johnny Sauter, David Gilliland and David Stremme – made the Camping World 300 based on 2007 owners points. Only Kertus Davis, who had made the race via qualifying, will fail to make the race since his Johnny Davis Motorsports team was not in the top 30 in owners points. Davis had qualified 15th.
In place of Davis’ No. 0 team is teammate Dwayne Leik in the No. 01 Chevrolet.
Stremme did not make a qualifying lap because of a broken transmission. Sauter had the fastest speed (sixth) of the drivers whose times were disallowed.
NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said all five teams violated rule 20A-2.1L of the Nationwide Series rule book, which states that “Any device or duct work that allows air to pass from one area of the interior of the car to another, or to the outside of the car, will not be permitted.”
“Essentially what that is is the lid on the oil tank behind the drivers seat was loose,” Poston said. “With that, you have both a safety consideration and a possible aero enhancing advantage.”
The advantage would be “the venting of air,” Poston said.
Poston said NASCAR was not surprised at the high number of teams caught with illegal modifications.
“These things sometimes run in packs,” Poston said. “We see this from time to time where we see a run on something like that.”
Any possible penalties would be announced next week, Poston said.
The five violations bring the number to seven teams caught with illegal parts this week. The rear decklid and spoiler from Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet and the carburetor from David Reutimann’s No. 99 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota were confiscated earlier this week.
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Cale Gale
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