Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Playoff debut at Chicagoland Speedway didn’t go as planned, to say the least. Continue reading
After Frustrating Outing at Chicagoland, Stenhouse’s Focus has Changed
Tag Archives: Brian Pattie
Integrity Matters – Drivers, Teams and Owners Need to Take Note
Integrity is a choice and it matters a great deal. Actions show whether a person is choosing integrity. What do your actions show?
It’s been a few days since Saturday’s controversial race at Richmond and as many others, I’ve taken some time to deal with my disappointment over decisions made within the Michael Waltrip Racing organization.
NASCAR, however, reacted swiftly and with a heavy hand to what they interpret as deliberate manipulation of the outcome of the race results. Personally, I’m glad they responded quickly, and as some others, I feel they should have gone further with penalties within the organization. Continue reading
NASCAR Penalizes Michael Waltrip Racing after Incident at Richmond
NASCAR has issued penalties to Michael Waltrip Racing following the sanctioning body’s review of Saturday’s race at Richmond International Raceway.
MWR was found to have violated Section 12-4 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing). As a result, MWR’s three teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (No. 15, 55, 56) have been penalized with the loss of 50 championship driver and 50 championship owner points, respectively.
These point penalties are assessed following the season’s 26th regular season race and not after the seeding for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Therefore, the point total for the No. 56 car driven by Martin Truex Jr. is reduced to 691, putting him in 17th position and eliminating him from the second Wild Card berth for the Chase field. Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 car, now moves up into the Chase as the second Wild Card participant.
NASCAR has also fined the MWR organization $300,000 and indefinitely suspended Ty Norris, MWR Executive Vice President/General Manager and spotter for the No. 55 car, for violating Section 12-4. The three crew chiefs – Brian Pattie (No. 15), Scott Miller (No. 55) and Chad Johnston (No. 56) – have all been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.
“Based upon our review of Saturday night’s race at Richmond, it is our determination that the MWR organization attempted to manipulate the outcome of the race,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. “As the sport’s sanctioning body, it is our responsibility to ensure there is a fair and level playing field for all of our competitors and this action today reflects our commitment to that.”
Going All-Access with the MWR Girls
My magical weekend at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway had way more than I thought it would. For example, Sunday at the track was drastically better than I was expecting when one tweet changed my day that morning. That was the tweet that gave me some unprecedented access to the garage area during the pre-race hours. When the Michael Waltrip Racing girls “MWR Girls” had a morning contest for some garage tour passes, I jumped right on for the experience of a lifetime. Continue reading