Drivers should get the pinch

When six crew members were thrown out of the Daytona 500 for cheating it was suggested that NASCAR start suspending drivers as part of the penalty process.

Jimmie Johnson was aghast at the idea.

The defending Nextel Cup champion said he has no idea what crew chief Chad Knaus does while building his race cars. And even if Johnson were privy to such information, he has no control in how his Chevrolets are constructed.

Johnson’s defense is at the very core of why NASCAR should start suspending its drivers. Benching the star of the team would force him to take responsibility for his crew.

Nothing else is working.

Latest infraction’s
punishment awaited

Johnson and teammate Jeff Gordon both showed up in Sonoma, Calif., with cars that failed initial inspection, and NASCAR refused to let them on the track Friday. But they still were allowed to race Sunday, and crew chiefs Knaus and Steve Letarte were both on site to guide their drivers to decent finishes. Gordon finished seventh and Johnson 17th.

Now they wait and wonder what further punishment NASCAR will impose. Penalties are traditionally issued on Tuesdays.

“All of us are blown away and we don’t know what’s coming next,” Gordon said. “We are at the mercy of NASCAR and I hope they are light on us, but who knows?”

That there’s any doubt in what the penalties will be stems from decades of inconsistency when it comes to enforcing the rules and doling out the punishment.

Cheating has long been celebrated as a quaint piece of NASCAR culture that even has its own slogan — “If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin.’ ” There’s long been a blurry territory of what is flagrant, what is working the margins of the rule book and what is a simple mistake.

Hendrick Motorsports
still doesn’t get it

Hendrick Motorsports is using that defense following this latest infraction, with team owner Rick Hendrick contending his crew chiefs were working within a “gray area” of the rule book.

“I don’t necessarily say they bent the rules — I think they thought they were working inside an area in which they could,” Hendrick said.

Here’s the issue the Hendrick guys aren’t understanding: There is no “gray area” anymore.

NASCAR is pretty serious about its new Car of Tomorrow, and has made it clear it won’t tolerate any alterations in its design. In fact, series officials distributed a memo before the car debuted in March that outlined the penalties teams would be subjected to if they were caught messing with the COT.

So it was no surprise to anyone, Hendrick teams included, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. was docked 100 points and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. was suspended six weeks and fined $100,000 when their COT failed a May inspection.

Punishment’s severity
may be debatable

The Hendrick teams most likely will get the same punishment — although some argue Knaus’ past infractions should warrant a much stiffer penalty because anything short of what Earnhardt and Eury received would seem unfair.

Problem is, it’s probably not enough to even dent the Hendrick juggernaut.

Even after a 100-point penalty, Gordon would still be leading the Nextel Cup standings by 171 points. Johnson would drop from third to fifth.

If NASCAR is serious about taking a stand, and chairman Brian France said Sunday officials “have to lay down the law,” then it’s time to suspend the driver.

The driver is the most high-profile member of the team, and if he’s at risk for going home, chances are he’d keep a very close eye on those charged with building his car.

XJenna Fryer writes for Associated Press.