Yep! They would have to find another way to, uh, ‘bend the rules’...............
Seeking “an edge” is a time honored tradition in NASCAR.
Darrell Waltrip tells a story about going around Talladega and seeing someone passing and the rear spoiler was laying flat. He thought about pointing it out to the officials but decided to threaten that team’s crew chief to let him in on the secret instead.
Turned out that the team had machined some tiny shock absorbers to look like the struts that are supposed to stiffen the rear spoiler. The faster the car went, the flatter the rear spoiler would get.
I read the rule after this started. Have you? I am accustomed to reading technical specs and looking for unsaid or poorly stated specs. I am astounded at how poorly rule 2 reads in regards to pressure. First the units are incorrect. Second it only says the balls are to supplied at that pressure to be tested. That they be maintained at that pressure is left unsaid. Where is the game requirement for pressure. Nowhere in my mind. The process for out of spec balls was followed. I see no problem with the Pats actions if they simply deflated them. It isn’t specifically prohibited.