UNB! NETWORK STAFF REPORT (From NASCAR.com)
The teams of Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch head into this weekend's season-ending, championship-determining race with three warnings each, which could be an issue should either have trouble getting through inspection prior to Sunday's Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM).
Harvick's Stewart-Haas Racing team and Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing squad are two of the four teams in the Championship Round, which is the final round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Also in contention for the 2015 title are Jeff Gordon (Hendrick Motorsports) and Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing).
Teams lose their opportunity in the pit selection process following qualifying if they receive a fourth warning during inspection. Failing to clear one of the inspection checkpoints, such as the Laser Inspection Station, typically results in a warning being issued.
Rodney Childers, crew chief for Harvick, said he isn't concerned about a potential penalty arising at Homestead this weekend.
"We've been at three (warnings) for a long time now," Childers said during a teleconference on Wednesday, "and we haven't had any issues at all. You've just got to be a little bit careful going through for qualifying and that type of thing. But honestly, the past month it hasn't even been an issue at all."
Earlier this season, teams complained that the LIS platform, which measures specific points underneath the car, wasn't consistent. Childers said that hasn't been the case of late.
"NASCAR is doing a really good job with that thing and changed a few lasers out on it," he said. "(Last week) at Phoenix it was really consistent. You've just got to do the best job you can and play it a little bit conservative on some things and get through qualifying and get your pit selection done."
Adam Stevens, crew chief for Busch, agreed with Childers, noting that his team will "make a couple extra trips across the platform before practice starts to make sure we know exactly where our stuff is.
"If there's anything that's marginal or a number we're chasing, we'll make sure that we're on the short side of it rather than taking a chance of having to go around (again)."
The No. 18 team picked up its third warning last weekend when it required more than two trips through the LIS during pre-race inspection.
Other Sprint Cup teams receiving warnings for inspection issues at Phoenix were the No. 16 of Roush Fenway Racing (Greg Biffle), the No. 20 of Joe Gibbs Racing (Erik Jones, driving Matt Kenseth's car), the No. 10 of Stewart-Haas Racing (Danica Patrick), the No. 27 of Richard Childress Racing (Paul Menard) and the No. 46 of HScott Motorsports (Michael Annett).
The 20, 46, and 10 teams will also be docked 15 minutes of practice time Friday for failing to arrive in the inspection line on time.
Non-Chase teams heading into this weekend's event with three warnings are the teams of Alex Bowman (Tommy Baldwin Racing), Denny Hamlin (JGR) and Jeb Burton (BK Racing), although none of those occurred last week.
When It's Time To Go
Kurt Busch (Stewart-Haas Racing) was penalized last week at Phoenix for beating the leader to the start/finish line at the start of the race, the first time this season the infraction had been called in the Sprint Cup Series.
The NASCAR Rule Book allows a driver other than the leader to cross the line first only during a restart, not the initial green-flag start of a race.
Busch, who started the race alongside pole winner Jimmie Johnson, had to serve a pass-through penalty. Although he was able to remain on the lead lap, he fell from the front of the pack to 43rd.
While able to rally to a seventh-place finish, Busch was one of four drivers eliminated from Chase contention at PIR.
Brad Keselowski was penalized earlier this season at New Hampshire when he jumped a Lap 242 restart, beating the race leader (control car) out of the restart zone. Although he did not beat the leader, Greg Biffle, to the start/finish line, NASCAR officials judged that he accelerated through the defined restart zone ahead of Biffle.
Earlier this year, NASCAR added a camera and additional official in the restart zone area to better police restarts.
Three other drivers -- AJ Allmendinger, Justin Allgaier and Josh Wise -- have been penalized for passing on a start/restart. Drivers are not allowed to change lanes or pass other cars until ther have crossed the start/finish line.
Homestead Test Shortened
NASCAR officials have announced that the Goodyear tire test, originally slated for Dec. 14-15 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, has been shortened to a single-day test on Dec. 14.
Organizations scheduled to participate in the test are Stewart-Haas Racing (Chevrolet), Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet), Richard Petty Motorsports (Ford) and Furniture Row Racing (Toyota).
It will be Furniture Row Racing's first on-track outing under the Toyota banner. The No. 78 team, with driver Martin Truex, currently fields Chevrolet entries.
Tuesday, Dec. 15 is a scheduled rain date in case of inclement weather.
Harvick's Stewart-Haas Racing team and Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing squad are two of the four teams in the Championship Round, which is the final round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Also in contention for the 2015 title are Jeff Gordon (Hendrick Motorsports) and Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing).
Teams lose their opportunity in the pit selection process following qualifying if they receive a fourth warning during inspection. Failing to clear one of the inspection checkpoints, such as the Laser Inspection Station, typically results in a warning being issued.
Rodney Childers, crew chief for Harvick, said he isn't concerned about a potential penalty arising at Homestead this weekend.
"We've been at three (warnings) for a long time now," Childers said during a teleconference on Wednesday, "and we haven't had any issues at all. You've just got to be a little bit careful going through for qualifying and that type of thing. But honestly, the past month it hasn't even been an issue at all."
Earlier this season, teams complained that the LIS platform, which measures specific points underneath the car, wasn't consistent. Childers said that hasn't been the case of late.
"NASCAR is doing a really good job with that thing and changed a few lasers out on it," he said. "(Last week) at Phoenix it was really consistent. You've just got to do the best job you can and play it a little bit conservative on some things and get through qualifying and get your pit selection done."
Adam Stevens, crew chief for Busch, agreed with Childers, noting that his team will "make a couple extra trips across the platform before practice starts to make sure we know exactly where our stuff is.
"If there's anything that's marginal or a number we're chasing, we'll make sure that we're on the short side of it rather than taking a chance of having to go around (again)."
The No. 18 team picked up its third warning last weekend when it required more than two trips through the LIS during pre-race inspection.
Other Sprint Cup teams receiving warnings for inspection issues at Phoenix were the No. 16 of Roush Fenway Racing (Greg Biffle), the No. 20 of Joe Gibbs Racing (Erik Jones, driving Matt Kenseth's car), the No. 10 of Stewart-Haas Racing (Danica Patrick), the No. 27 of Richard Childress Racing (Paul Menard) and the No. 46 of HScott Motorsports (Michael Annett).
The 20, 46, and 10 teams will also be docked 15 minutes of practice time Friday for failing to arrive in the inspection line on time.
Non-Chase teams heading into this weekend's event with three warnings are the teams of Alex Bowman (Tommy Baldwin Racing), Denny Hamlin (JGR) and Jeb Burton (BK Racing), although none of those occurred last week.
When It's Time To Go
Kurt Busch (Stewart-Haas Racing) was penalized last week at Phoenix for beating the leader to the start/finish line at the start of the race, the first time this season the infraction had been called in the Sprint Cup Series.
The NASCAR Rule Book allows a driver other than the leader to cross the line first only during a restart, not the initial green-flag start of a race.
Busch, who started the race alongside pole winner Jimmie Johnson, had to serve a pass-through penalty. Although he was able to remain on the lead lap, he fell from the front of the pack to 43rd.
While able to rally to a seventh-place finish, Busch was one of four drivers eliminated from Chase contention at PIR.
Brad Keselowski was penalized earlier this season at New Hampshire when he jumped a Lap 242 restart, beating the race leader (control car) out of the restart zone. Although he did not beat the leader, Greg Biffle, to the start/finish line, NASCAR officials judged that he accelerated through the defined restart zone ahead of Biffle.
Earlier this year, NASCAR added a camera and additional official in the restart zone area to better police restarts.
Three other drivers -- AJ Allmendinger, Justin Allgaier and Josh Wise -- have been penalized for passing on a start/restart. Drivers are not allowed to change lanes or pass other cars until ther have crossed the start/finish line.
Homestead Test Shortened
NASCAR officials have announced that the Goodyear tire test, originally slated for Dec. 14-15 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, has been shortened to a single-day test on Dec. 14.
Organizations scheduled to participate in the test are Stewart-Haas Racing (Chevrolet), Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet), Richard Petty Motorsports (Ford) and Furniture Row Racing (Toyota).
It will be Furniture Row Racing's first on-track outing under the Toyota banner. The No. 78 team, with driver Martin Truex, currently fields Chevrolet entries.
Tuesday, Dec. 15 is a scheduled rain date in case of inclement weather.
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