RCR appeal to be heard and denied on Wed.
The National Stock Car Racing Commission on Wednesday upheld NASCAR's punishment for the Sprint Cup team of Clint Bowyer. The governing body penalized Bowyer 150 points because the car that won the Chase opener at New Hampshire didn't meet specifications. Crew chief Shane Wilson was suspended for six weeks and fined $150,000. Richard Childress was docked 150 owner points. Childress said he was disappointed in the decision and plans to appeal to chief appellate officer John Middleton, who will have the final say. No date was given for that appeal. "We have proof," Childress said.
Childress brought in Dr. Charles Manning, who owns Accident Reconstruction Analysis in Raleigh, N.C. Manning said he has no doubt that Bowyer's car was knocked out of tolerance the sixty-thousands of an inch that NASCAR claimed by the wrecker that pushed it after it ran out of gas following the win. Manning said he duplicated the incident with a wrecker and car of the same specifications.
"They [the commission] paid no attention, which says something about what's going on in there," said Manning, noting his company, founded in 1979, has been used many times to prove cause in a court of law. "What we brought was positive proof that the damage was caused by the tow truck pushing the car." Manning was whisked away before further comment.
Bowyer had moved from 12th to second in points with the victory that ended an 88-race losing streak. The penalty knocked him from 35 points behind leader Denny Hamlin to 12th and 185 out. He finished 25th this past weekend at Dover to fall to 235 points out.
The three-member commission made its ruling after meeting with RCR and NASCAR officials at the Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. The five-hours of deliberation took so long that Childress placed a sign in a window that said, "Order Pizza & Budweiser." Bowyer's team and Richard Childress Racing were warned on Tuesday after the car that finished sixth at Richmond to clinch a spot in the Chase barely passed inspection. The New Hampshire car passed post-race inspection at the track, but upon further review at the R&D Center they discovered issues with the back end tolerances. Childress claimed the illegal tolerance — the car was too high in the back — was the result of Bowyer's car being pushed by a wrecker. ESPN
09/25/10 According to a tweet by Ramsey Poston, NASCAR's Communications Manger, "Appeal hearing for the #33 Clint Bowyer team is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 29." Appeal? Does RCR really think they can win an appeal with NASCAR? No one wins an appeal with NASCAR.