#55 penalized: 100 driver and owners pts (NASCAR nails Waltrip, Toyota not happy)

Jaskis ^ | 2/14/07 | Staff

[umgud]

NASCAR Release: NASCAR announced Wednesday that it has confiscated the primary car of the #55 Toyota team that competes in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series with driver Michael Waltrip, as a result of rule violations found during pre- and post-qualifying inspection for the Daytona 500. Crew chief Larry (David) Hyder and the team’s vice president of competition Bobby Kennedy have been ejected from this week’s events at Daytona International Speedway and suspended indefinitely. Hyder also has been fined $100,000. NASCAR also penalized Waltrip with the loss of 100 driver championship points. His qualifying time from pole day on Feb. 11 was disallowed. Team owner Elizabeth (Buffy) Waltrip has been penalized 100 car owner championship points.............................

[devolve]

A little psuedo-nitromethane trick to get the Toyota to be competitive

I recall that some in NASCAR were caught back a while running in nitrous oxide thru a small rivethead on an air cleaner

Smokey Yunick was the King of Tricksters years ago

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If it did not work they would not have tried it

How high up did this go?

Did Toyota tell Waltrip to perform or else?

What great PR for Toyota!

[potlatch]

D.C.2000 would enjoy this one!

[devolve]

Yup -

She would

It's all about the money

Another trick was to build the engine with leaks in the intake system to increase the CFM

Not good on street cars - but on a racecar with air-fuel mixtures set by computer/dyno testing and track tests it can give that tiny edge in long races over better legal cars

Early NASCAR was full of scammers and cheaters

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I recall how some NHRA biggies used to sneak by inspectors

[potlatch]

Can I go find a thread about sewing and how to apply sequines to your bluejean jacket and ping you to it? Lol.

Sorry!! You love the cars!

[kittymyrib]

There was a lot of hard feelings about NASCAR letting Toyota in with a team. How hard would it be for someone to sabotage the car?

[devolve]

Wrangler has a NASCAR team

Not sure if Levi's does

Big bucks

No sequins on the Wrangler car or driver's suit!

[potlatch]

[No sequins on the Wrangler car or driver's suit! ]

Naaa, Elvis would have liked me more!! Lol.

[Fierce Allegiance]

So the additive was put in the fuel and it was discovered through residue on the restrictor plate.

Pemberton said inside the intake manifold, as they were removing the restrictor plate.

[Anti-Bubba182]

OK

[Fierce Allegiance]

Only a gaskets thickness difference. :)

[devolve]

LOL!

[potlatch]

Better watch out or I'll make a LOL gif with your face in the center of the "O"!!!

I can do it too!

[devolve]

I know!

[potlatch]

[HEY4QDEMS]

I'm curious, Jet fuel, just a higher grade of kerosene?

That won't boost octane at all. And it was on the exhaust side?

This is not making sense.

The arguement of whether or not it helps him is a moot point.
Fuel additives are illegal, period. It doesn't matter how well or how poorly the additive performs.

It's like using a corked bat in the majors, the league is not interested in the physics of an altered bat, they simply forbid it end of story.

[Lurking in Kansas]

Mikey might also lose his TV gig over this.

Doubt it. Publicity = good.

And in NASCAR this type of publicity isn’t “bad”. I fact, I bet it'll boost ESPN / SPEED channels ratings. I want to see what Mikey has to say now– must see TV!! LOL!!

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

If it was in the fuel, long enough to get a qualifying spot in the big show.

One would have to inject it into the fuel line. The fuel tank is filled with foam and I don't think the sterno would flow through that. Instead the gel would clog up the foam, but the alcohol asormbed in that gel would disolve into the gas, to be picked up by the inspector who inspects the fuel.

Actually this sounds like a piss poor way to cheat, you can only get a very small amount of alcohol into the system this way and of course the gel would get into the manifold.

I understand Waltrip has found that a culprit in his orginazation put it there. Probably some young wise ass mechanic.

[NonValueAdded]

Perhaps. I depends on how Mikey handles it, the extent to which he was involved, and what he says going forward, especially on the Inside NEXTEL Cup show. Also, the "any publicity is good publicity" is a western concept. Put on your multi-culti cap and consider how that comcept might seem to the Toyota honchos. Toyota has been talking tough so I suspect they aren't thinking the publicity is good.

If this turns out to be a rogue employee, Mikey should do his qualifying runs with the guy strapped to the hood. If the fingers point upward, Mikey could lose the whole deal. Either way, there will be blood on the garage floor.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

If it was in the fuel, long enough to get a qualifying spot in the big show.

One would have to inject it into the fuel line. The fuel tank is filled with foam and I don't think the sterno would flow through that. Instead the gel would clog up the foam, but the alcohol assembled in that gel would dissolve into the gas, to be picked up by the inspector who inspects the fuel.

Actually this sounds like a piss poor way to cheat, you can only get a very small amount of alcohol into the system this way and of course the gel would get into the manifold.

I understand Waltrip has found that a culprit in his organization put it there. Probably some young wise ass mechanic.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

sounds like napalm to me or a petroleum type gel.. lol

Sterno! Its an alcohol disolved in gel.