Roush claims sway bar stolen by a Toyota team last year

By Rea White - Associate Editor
Friday, March 28, 2008
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Sam Cranston
NASCAR Scene

Waltrip: Our team took Roush Fenway part by 'mistake'

TRD's White: We had nothing to do with missing Roush Fenway part

MARTINSVILLE,  Va. – Team owner Jack Roush says that an undisclosed Toyota team stole a front sway bar from his team at Dover International Speedway in 2007, and that he is seeking relief from NASCAR, or possibly through legal channels, for subsequent research with that part.
   
Roush says that the team's toolbox was next to that of a Toyota team last fall at Dover. The teams stored what he described as uniquely-painted bars, each labeled with a serial number, under the toolboxes.
           
“The ... nondescript Toyota team, went behind my toolbox and took my bar out of my inventory and put it in their inventory and took it home with them,” Roush said Friday at Martinsville Speedway. “That is a fact. It has not been refuted and it has been discussed with the team involved.”
   
In a story published Wednesday on ESPN.com, Jim Aust, president and chief executive officer of Toyota Racing Development, said that the Toyota team had returned a Roush Fenway part to that organization, though Aust said the part in queston was a spring.
   
"I don't understand the whole procedure when a teardown happens," Aust said. "The only thing I know is it wound up with parts we had and [we returned it] to Roush. It's unfortunate it happened the way it did. It wasn't anything intentional. There's no reason to be done intentional. I have no idea how it happened to begin with."
   
Roush said that there is no way the part was accidentally given to the wrong team as part of an inspection tear-down since the front sway bar is not a part of that process.
   
Roush said a vendor that makes proprietary parts for teams was contacted in January by the Toyota team about reproducing the part. The vendor contacted Roush Fenway Racing and the team officials discovered the part was missing.
   
At about the same time, Roush says his organization hired someone who had been with the Toyota team and they claimed to have seen the part there. Roush Fenway Racing was investigating on its own as well.
   
“I found out about it, I wanted to go supersonic,” Roush said. “[I thought,] ‘We’re going to get a search warrant, industrial espionage is going on … They’ve had an opportunity to see what it does … We’ve been damaged, we’ve been harmed by this theft.’”
   
But, he said, before he could take action, one of his team managers contacted the team in question without Roush’s knowledge. He said that the manager of the Toyota team involved said he didn’t know anything about a Roush part being in his possession – a claim Roush said he believes – and that the two arranged to hand deliver the part back to Roush Fenway and the transfer was made early one morning.
   
Roush said the part had been sandblasted and worked on, but that the serial numbers were still intact.
   
Dissatisfied, he decided to go to NASCAR instead of through the legal system to get what he deems “relief” for what this cost his team. He said conversations are ongoing and that those are and should remain private.
   
Roush says he’s had three discussions with NASCAR officials “as I’ve attempted to work my way through this with an appropriate sanction and relief could be given to me for the theft that occurred.”
   
“We are still considering legal action,” he said, adding that if his team discovered it could make the case, it could seek a restraining order against the team to prohibit use of similar parts.
   
Roush refused to name the team involved, saying that he did not want to embarrass either the sponsor or the team, many members of which he believes did not know this had happened.
   
Asked what it would take to satisfy him, Roush replied: “Show me something. I’ll know what I like when I see it.”
   
He said that a public apology could be issued and that he’d like a guarantee that “somebody on the team won’t misuse the information.”
   
Roush said that the issue might not have become public if not for a comment he made at Atlanta Motor Speedway. At that time, the investigation was ongoing, but Roush Fenway’s Carl Edwards was penalized for an oil tank cover that was not attached to his car at Las Vegas. The following week, Toyota’s Lee White questioned whether Roush intentionally skirted the rules.
   
In a lengthy rebuttal of that, Roush says that he mentioned this parts issue and the potential for a restraining order against a Toyota team, a comment that was published this week and brought the issue to the forefront.

Comments

6 responses to "Roush claims sway bar stolen by a Toyota team last year". Post a Comment.
  1. 1
    Gerri Richardson said:
    Mar 28, 2008 at 10:31 PM

    Amen!

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  2. 2
    Phillip Betza said:
    Mar 28, 2008 at 10:32 PM

    THE ONLY CAR THAT IS MADE IN USA.NOT CANADA OR MEXICO.

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  3. 3
    Worm Dirt said:
    Mar 29, 2008 at 3:21 AM

    I love Toyota more and more every day!!!!! Edmund Jankowski and Gerri Richardson ONLY use AMERICAN-made cell-phones, pagers, lap-tops,and stereos, and DVD players..etc.....etc..... so don't question their rightouesness.... BUT......Jack Roush can divert blame all he wants. Cowards and hypocrites.... let your voice be heard!!..Who's next on the fear-of-competition bandwagon????
    -WormDirtFreedom2008

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  4. 4
    Timothy Schultze said:
    Mar 29, 2008 at 10:02 AM

    I Think its really hard for any body to believe that MORE of this does not go on in NASCAR you people act so surprised must be newbies to NASCAR as far as foreign makes who cares were they are made the more the merrier this sport RUNS on MONEY and i am NOT A TOYOTA FAN but bring it on PHILLIP the CAPS button is located on the key board middle left side Have a great day
    ANOTHER GREAT YEAR FOR CHEVROLET IN NASCAR JUST A PREDICTION WITH HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS ON TOP

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  5. 5
    Dick Miller said:
    Mar 29, 2008 at 11:52 AM

    Come on Jack, Grow Up. You cheat with a loose oil reservoir cover, and then when you are caught, you bring up something that supposedly happened in 2007, and with a sway bar that all teams use as common equipment. Or is that the issue, maybe your sway bars aren't as common as they are supposed to be. Jack, I think your hats are getting to tight on your head. Loosen up, both on Toyota and your hat sizes. You used to be a better man than this. Get a grip, and if you are still mad, then steal one of the Toyota engines. There is where not only Ford, but also Chevrolet better start worrying.

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  6. 6
    Bill Pecor said:
    Mar 29, 2008 at 1:37 PM

    Jack Roush may have good teams but he sure could use some class. Jack has a habit of making statements that tend to be a bit shy in the proof area. This first of several came to light years ago when he accused Rusty Wallace and his team of cheating, which was a proven false claim. On another note - For the Toyota haters: What parts do you think on NASCAR Chevys, Fords, and Dodges are made by the manufactuer! I'm a Kasey Kahne fan yet I'm quite sure that less than 15% of the parts in his or anyones racecar are actually made by the manufactuer they represent. A Toyota in NASCAR is NOT the Toyota at the showroom yet neither is the Chevy, Ford or Dodge.

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