NASCAR suspends 7 JGR Nationwide crewmen; team won't appeal
NASCAR has indefinitely suspended seven Joe Gibbs Racing crewmen for attempting to manipulate the horsepower results during a test following the Nationwide Series race Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.
NASCAR suspended the No. 20 Nationwide Series team crew chief Dave Rogers, car chief Richard Bray and engine tuner Dan Bajek as well as No. 18 team crew chief Jason Ratcliff, car chief Dorian Thorsen, engine tuner Michael Johnson and crew member Toby Bigelow.
Ratcliff and Rogers also were fined $50,000. The teams were penalized 150 points in the owners standings and drivers Joey Logano and Tony Stewart also were penalized 150 points. The entire JGR Nationwide teams were put on probation through the end of the season.
JGR will not appeal the penalties.
“We take full responsibility and accept the penalties NASCAR has levied against us today," team owner Joe Gibbs said in a statement. "We had come to the conclusion that we would add to any NASCAR imposed penalties with the minimum being suspension for the remainder of the season for those involved, including our two Nationwide Series crew chiefs. There will also be an additional monetary fine beyond the amount announced by NASCAR earlier today, which will be the responsibility of those involved.
“We are, however, disappointed that NASCAR chose to place our drivers on probation, as they had no knowledge or involvement of this incident."
According to NASCAR, the Gibbs teams attached a magnetic spacer under the gas pedals to keep the No. 18 and No. 20 cars from becoming fully engaged when the car was put on the chassis dynamometer following the race. NASCAR uses those numbers to help determine whether it needs to change any rules to keep a competitive balance.
“In 17 years we have never had any representative of Joe Gibbs Racing knowingly act outside of NASCAR’s rules, and that is something we consider essential to how we operate on a daily basis," Gibbs said in the statement. "What we have determined is that these individuals involved used extremely poor judgment in attempting to alter the results of NASCAR’s dyno test following Saturday’s Nationwide Series race in Michigan. Although in no way was anything done that might have altered the race outcome, these JGR employees attempted to circumvent the NASCAR rule book and that is unacceptable."
NASCAR had made a rule change last month when it required the Toyota teams to use a spacer with smaller holes that its competitors. That cost the Toyota teams about 15 horsepower as less air flowed through the carburetor.
The JGR teams had won 13 of the first 21 races prior to the rules change. JGR won the first race after the rule was implemented but has not won in the last three.
Team president J.D. Gibbs apologized for his employees’ actions Sunday at Michigan.
The No. 20 remains the leader in the owners points by 168 over the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing team.
