NASCAR sends strong message to competitors in Chicagoland meeting
Sept. 14, 2013
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
JOLIET,
Ill.--In the wake of controversy surrounding last Saturday’s Sprint Cup
race at Richmond, NASCAR unveiled a "100-percent solution"
to the issue of collusion and some specific practical changes to the
conduct of races.
In
a mandatory 17-minute meeting with drivers and crew chiefs Saturday at
Chicagoland Speedway, NASCAR addressed the concerns that have
caused what sanctioning body president Mike Helton earlier termed "a
shift in the paradigm."
"At
the center of that meeting was what our expectations were going
forward," NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France told reporters in
the Chicagoland media center. "And those expectations are that a driver
and a team give 100 percent effort, their best effort, to complete a
race and race as hard as they possibly can."
That
wasn’t universally the case at Richmond, after which Michael Waltrip
Racing, Front Row Motorsports and Penske Racing all were sanctioned
for attempts to manipulate the outcome of the race to the benefit of
specific drivers.
NASCAR told competitors Saturday that any future attempts of that nature will draw harsh reactions from the sanctioning body.
"First of all, the new rule that is effective immediately will be 12‑4L, if my memory serves me right," Helton said.
"It reads:
‘NASCAR
requires its competitors to race at 100 percent of their ability with
the goal of achieving their best possible
finishing position in an event. Any competitor who takes action with
the intent to artificially alter the finishing positions of the event or
encourages, persuades or induces others to artificially alter the
finishing position of the event shall be subject
to a penalty from NASCAR.
‘Such
penalties may include but are limited to disqualification and/or loss
of finishing points and/or fines and/or
loss of points and/or suspension and/or probation to any and all
members of the teams, including any beneficiaries of the prohibited
actions.
‘Artificially
altered' shall be defined as actions by any competitor that show or
suggest that the competitor did not
race at 100 percent of their ability for the purpose of changing
finishing positions in the event at NASCAR's sole discretion.’"
Helton then listed actions that are acceptable under the new rule and those that aren’t.
"This
is the acceptable:" Helton said, "Contact while racing for position;
performance issues; drafting; pitting; tire
management; fuel management; yielding to a faster car; alternative pit
strategy; long fuel strategy; laying over, (you lay over for one, you
lay over for all, which is fairly common in our restart language when we
get ready to go back to green).
"These
are some of the examples that we came up with that's unacceptable in
hopes to help define the step we're taking:
Offering a position in exchange for favor or material benefit; offering
material benefit in exchange for track position; directing a driver to
give up a position to the benefit of another driver; intentionally
causing a caution; causing a caution for the benefit
of or determinant of another driver; intentionally wrecking a
competitor; intentionally pitting, pulling into the garage to gain
advantage for another competitor."
In
practical terms, only one spotter per team will be allowed on the
spotters’ stand. Each spotter will be limited
to two analog radios. Henceforth, spotters won’t be allowed to carry
digital radios, which carry private team communications. Digital radios
have been prohibited in race cars, but team members other than spotters
and drivers may still use them.
NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton also said NASCAR would announce changes to restart rules, effective
Sunday, at the drivers’ meeting before the GEICO 400.
No comments:
Post a Comment