Johnson calls JGR Nationwide penalty 'substantial'

Sprint Cup driver and part-time Nationwide Series competitor Jimmie Johnson said the penalties handed down to Joe Gibbs Racing’s Nationwide teams were “substantial.”
 
Seven JGR crew members were suspended indefinitely, including crew chiefs for both the No. 18 and No. 20 teams. Each team was docked 150 driver and owner points, while crew chiefs Jason Ratcliff and Dave Rogers were each fined $50,000.
 
“I think everyone in the garage can say, ‘Point taken,’” Johnson said Wednesday at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he was running the Craftsman Truck Series race. “It’s unfortunate that those guys went to that and tried to slide in that magnet. I’m impressed that NASCAR found it and saw it.
 
“When you blatantly go after stuff, they come down hard on you. We were a quarter-inch wide on a template that didn’t exist and had a six-week suspension and a bunch of other stuff go on. I can imagine if it is a rule like that, if it has to do with traction control, tires or messing with the power like that, NASCAR does not like that. They have said it all along there are a few unwritten things that you don’t touch, and I think that falls into that category.”
 
JGR crew members were caught trying to alter horsepower by placing a magnet spacer under the gas pedals of both cars in a chassis dyno test after the race last weekend at Michigan. Toyotas have already seen their power numbers cut this season.
 
Nationwide Series driver Brad Keselowski said Tuesday he wasn’t sure the penalty should be so severe.
 
“It’s like watching someone close to you get hurt and then hurting the person that hurt them,” Keselowski said. “You’re still not right. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
 
But, Keselowski said, the JGR violations go deeper than just one race.
 
“I think from a penalty status, the biggest thing that sets out in my mind is what they did, they did not cheat in that race at Michigan, in my opinion,” Keselowski said. “A hundred percent, they did not cheat in that race at Michigan. But what they did was even worse than that. They attempted to cheat in the next two seasons by doing what they did on that dynojet. It’s worse than cheating in that one race
 
“It’s almost like what they did was just worse than even cheating in that one race. I almost wish they would have cheated in that one race because I would have felt better about it. But what they attempted to do was cheat us for the rest of the season all the way up to probably Atlanta of next year before another dyno test was done.”
 
Keselowski said the issue with Toyotas has been brewing for two years, since the manufacturer came into the series in 2007. Toyotas, Keselowski said, had the best engine but weren’t truly able to show it until this year, especially when NASCAR reduced\ overall horsepower with a tapered spacer this season.
 
“The reality of it was that they still had a better package, and the fact that we put the plate on just accentuated that, along with the fact that their teams got stronger,” said Keselowski, who drives a Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. “So then you’re left in a situation where you have a manufacturer which has built an engine that is just designed superior to ours, and there was really nothing that NASCAR could do. They didn’t have an old motor to go back to. They couldn’t take away the Toyota motor. …
 
“I hear from the fans all the time ‘Well, why don’t you guys go to work?’ Well, we did. We did go to work to fix it, but the piece that’s sitting on the table makes no sense to bring out. I’ll give NASCAR the credit that when they came up with the taper rule to reduce the Toyotas and kind of looking at their thinking, and my view of it is that I think there is a financial cold war of a sense in the series, in the sport, and by not allowing Chevrolet to have their new engine, they’re not necessarily prolonging but trying to lessen that effect.”
 
Chevrolet plans to submit a new engine, the R07, for 2008, and Ford and Dodge are also working on new engines similar to Toyota’s internal architecture.
 
“If we were given the new engine tomorrow, we’d be right there with the Toyota,” Keselowski said. “We could compete with them heads-up. We could race with them. I think we could beat ’em. But to do that might make sense for a team like JR Motorsports that’s affiliated with Hendrick, but it makes zero sense for a team like Jay Robinson Racing or Johnny Davis because you just kill those teams [financially]. You played right into the hands of those that have the finances, and we need those teams.
 
“We need those guys, so it was a tough decision, and the decision to put the plate on to reduce the Toyotas was one that I didn’t even feel very good about because I hate to see that happen, and I understand 100 percent what Gibbs went through and why they would be disappointed and why they would do the things that they did.
 
“And I’ll be honest: I might have done the same things if I was them if I was in their shoes. I’m going to say that I probably would’ve, and that’s really unfortunate. But it’s two years in the making, and we’re just now seeing the decision that was done two years ago has cast. I feel bad for ’em, but it doesn’t make it right. But I can certainly understand why they did what they did.”

• Mentioned Drivers:
• Brad Keselowski