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Kenny Bruce: Juan Pablo Montoya's team may not have meant to skirt rules

By Kenny Bruce - Assistant Managing Editor

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Article Rating: 5.0
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COMMENTARY

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – For those folks who think Juan Pablo Montoya shouldn’t be competing in today's Camping World RV 400 at Kansas Speedway ...

Montoya’s No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing team had its pole-winning qualifying run disallowed Friday when the gas pressure in the car’s rear shocks exceeded the maximum of 75 pounds per square inch (psi). As a result, Montoya was sent to the rear of the field, actually 42nd, in the starting lineup.

Montoya didn’t win a race because his team’s car was “all cheated up.” He did not qualify for the race because the rear shocks were “illegal.” He would have qualified for the race whether his car had eight shocks, four shocks or no shocks at all, thanks to the top-35 rule, but that’s an argument for another day.

NASCAR acted by wiping away the run and then penalized the team by sending Montoya to the back, which took away any advantage the team might have gained from starting at the front of the field.

Were the car’s shocks illegal? Yes. Was the team penalized? Yes. Should that be the end of it? Yes.

Years from now, the record will show that Jimmie Johnson won the pole for the race. Not Montoya.

Before I go any further, let me say that I don’t always agree with NASCAR. Just as a car that fails post-qualifying inspection doesn’t get to keep its starting spot, a car that fails postrace inspection shouldn’t be allowed to keep its position either, especially if that car happens to win the race. Docking a team points and suspending and fining the parties involved should only be part of the penalty. Anyone whose car fails to pass postrace inspection should not, under any circumstance, be allowed to keep the win.

But back to Montoya ...

Suppose, just for a moment, that a bolt holding one of the shocks, or anything else on the chassis, broke during a qualifying run. On Mark Martin’s car. Or on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car. Or on Jeff Gordon’s car. And because of that, the car measured too low when it was rolled through post-qualifying inspection.

Should that team be disqualified, even though being too low would actually put the team at a disadvantage on the track? Or penalized, thus removing any advantage, and allowed to race?

The result would be the same, regardless of who was involved. The qualifying time would be disallowed and the driver would start at the back of the field in the race (again, as long as he was in the top 35. If his team wasn’t in the top 35 in owner points, he would have failed to qualify.)

Such things happen. Gordon has seen it happen to others, and to his own Hendrick Motorsports team. A broken bolt resulted in Gordon’s car measuring too low during inspection following a win in one of the two Gatorade 150 qualifying races at Daytona in 2007. Instead of starting near the front, Gordon was penalized and started the race from the 42nd position.

For the record, I checked with one of the most respected shock guys in the garage Saturday morning just to see what he thought about the Montoya/Ganassi situation. Here’s what I learned:

- Before NASCAR instituted the 75-pound maximum regarding rear shock gas pressures, the standard most teams ran was 125 psi, in part because it seemed the shocks performed best at that pressure. And it was his guess that 125 psi was likely the pressure of the Ganassi team’s shocks;

- Gas pressure inside the shock absorbers acts similar to air pressures in the car’s tires in that it takes a while for those pressures to build up. And two qualifying laps likely wouldn’t be enough time for pressures to increase enough to make any difference;

- Higher pressure in the rear shocks doesn’t aid the handling characteristics of today’s cars nearly as much as it did with the older
cars.

I’m probably just being naive. Maybe Montoya and crew chief Brian Pattie were trying to gain an unfair advantage. Maybe NASCAR feels that some teams are beginning to play with shock pressures and wanted to send a message.

But I don’t think that’s the case. Silly me.

Average Rating: 5.0

Comments

6 responses to "Kenny Bruce: Juan Pablo Montoya's team may not have meant to skirt rules"
  1. 1
    Fakey McFake said:
    Sep 28, 2008 at 6:34 AM

    there is nothing in your entire article that supports your headline.

    Report as Abuse
  2. 2
    Jeff said:
    Sep 28, 2008 at 10:42 AM

    Big difference between 75 psi and 125 psi. "oops, I didn't mean to do that!"

    Report as Abuse
  3. 3
    Andrew Briscoe said:
    Sep 28, 2008 at 10:54 AM

    Gotta agree with Jeff 100%. Although it wouldn't matter if it was 76 or 125 psi, he'd still get the same penalty. Although considering the title is in regards to "meaning to" have done it, since when has NASCAR cared if you meant to or not?

    Report as Abuse
  4. 4
    Scott Baker said:
    Sep 28, 2008 at 11:11 AM

    This article is so ridiculous, I'm embarrassed to say I read the entire article. Nobody thinks Montoya should be held out of the race. To say the "team may not have meant to skirt rules" is asinine. This was not caused by a broken bolt or anything else broken during the qualifying run. The was caused by a TEAM DECISION to place a certain psi in the shocks. These cars are prepared to the finest detail by the race teams, every step of the way. THE TEAM KNOWS how many ounces of gas is in the tank, THE TEAMS KNOWS how many tenths of a pound of pressure is in each individual tire, and THE TEAM KNOWS how how much psi is in each shock. Stupid Article, I feel stupid having wasted my time reading it. They deserve the penalty they received, end of story.

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  5. 5
    Jessica Fogal said:
    Sep 28, 2008 at 3:00 PM

    FYI... 125 psi was NOT the amount that was in the shocks. Know your facts before you write about it next time! I agree that your headline had nothing to do with the article.

    Report as Abuse
  6. 6
    Kenneth McLellan said:
    Sep 28, 2008 at 3:55 PM

    You have to be in the grey area most of the time to win,this might have gone to far.

    Report as Abuse

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