Someone forgot to tell Hendrick Motorsports that getting a big penalty from NASCAR is supposed to make it more difficult each week.
Hendrick teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson both had their crew chiefs suspended for six races starting this weekend after they got caught with illegally modified fenders during inspection at Sonoma.
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NASCAR has made it very clear this season that unapproved modificationsto the Car of Tomorrow will not be tolerated, and they are handing down some severe penalties to get their point across ? the standard price for a COT infraction so far has been a $100,000 fine and a deduction of 100 championship points, in addition to the six-week crew chief suspension.
While the penalties have certainly grabbed the attention of teams off the track, if Sunday?s race in New Hampshire was any indication, there will be little effect once the green flag drops.
In fact, both Gordon and Johnson are confident that the penalties will actually help their teams get stronger ? and they are right.
With interim crew chiefs on the pit box last weekend, both cars turned in top-five performances. Johnson pointed to the organization?s depth as the reason for the success.
“They are prepared, ready and have the support behind them to move forward,” Johnson said.
They should be prepared since they have plenty of experience. Last season, Johnson?s crew chief Chad Knaus was suspended for the first four races of the season and the results during that suspension were impressive ? Johnson won two races, including the Daytona 500.
Johnson also admits that the experience last year helped his team considerably in winning the championship. “It forced us to be more prepared leaving the shop ? we really had to think things through,” Johnson said. “And I think that helped us ? to have a plan as we go to each race weekend.”
Gordon, seeing how Johnson?s experience last year brought the No. 48 team together, expects similar results.
“When Chad came back, it actually kind of made them an even more solid team,” Gordon said. “And I?m hoping for the same.”
With suspended crew chiefs free to focus on making cars better at the shop and feeding race-day information to their teams via cell phone, are NASCAR?s penalties having the wrong effect?
Possibly, especially when you consider the success other teams are having in the same situation. Matt Kenseth scored a win at California while crew chief Robbie Reiser was suspended, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had three top-10 finishes during Tony Eury Jr.?s six-race suspension that ends next weekend in Daytona.
NASCAR?s recent tendency toward extended suspensions certainly creates a buzz in the garage, but if they really want to make an impact, NASCAR should focus on taking away points, not crew chiefs.
Otherwise, at the rate Hendrick is going, they might start to make it part of their team strategy to have their crew chief suspended once per year ? just to give them that extra boost before the Chase.
Get up to speed on the latest in NASCAR ? listen to Wilson?s Race Report every weeknight at 7:25pm on 93.1 WPOC.
