JR Motorsports to appeal suspension of crew chief

By SceneDaily Staff Report

Saturday, February 23, 2008

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FONTANA, Calif. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Friday his Nationwide Series team won’t appeal the points or money penalty handed down by NASCAR for an infraction discovered at Daytona International Speedway.

But JR Motorsports will appeal the six-week suspension of Chad Walter, crew chief of the team’s No. 5 Chevrolet. The team was docked 50 points and fined $25,000 for an illegal decklid found before qualifying.

“The suspension is the toughest part for us, financially,” Earnhardt Jr. said at Auto Club Speedway. “To have to bring in a guy of crew chief caliber for a short period of time is pretty expensive. We’re going to see if we can get that part of it, at least, worked on a little bit.

“I feel like the penalty itself is fair. The points and all that is hard to swallow, but it’s fair. It is what it is. We got caught cheating, and that’s punishment we deserve.”

But Earnhardt Jr. doesn’t want to lose his crew chief, so he will appeal.

“It’s likely not to make any difference, but that’s what the appeal process is for,” Earnhardt Jr. said.

Earnhardt Jr. joked that JR Motorsports co-owner Rick Hendrick is “real good” at appeals.

“Maybe if he goes with me, I might could get it turned around,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He’s got some kind of magic every time he goes down there. Maybe I’ll send him or he’ll go in my spot.”

Walter remains as the crew chief of the No. 5 this weekend, and Earnhardt Jr. is curious to see how he reacts to the controversy.

“The key here is how Chad responds,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He has to show his ability to lead. His response and his actions will prove if he’s capable of doing that. I want to help him a little bit, console him a little bit. I knew he was just trying to give me the best car he could give me for the race. We’re all out there taking chances on areas like that, like the
spoiler.

“It’s unfortunate. We were the ones that got caught. We’ll deal with the penalty because it’s fair. Chad’s actions are what matters right now for that team, how he responds and whether those guys will respect him after he handles his business. That could be a stain in his career or he could turn it into a positive in terms of how his attitude is.”