iNSIDE SCOOP: Tattletales

If you’re in doubt about whether or not somebody ratted out Team Penske last week at Texas, you’re not alone.

But, in the words of NASCAR’s King, you’d probably be wise to assume it’s true.

Richard Petty, speaking to the media here at Kansas Speedway, speculated that was indeed the case, and he ought to know. Back in his day, NASCAR had its own inspectors, and it had an army of “interested observers,” otherwise known as the crews and drivers themselves.

Nobody could hide anything from anyone else, because if they tried, someone would drop a dime and a visit from the tech police would be in the offing. It’s effective, and it helps maintain the status quo ante: everybody plays on the same field.

According to Petty, the two Penske Fords had “passed two or three inspections and hadn’t been caught” at Texas. Undoubtedly, someone told them what the Penske crew was doing.”

Fair enough. Keselowski last year made some comments about the rear end on the Hendrick cars, and it was discovered that bushings had been added to allow the rear of the cars to travel slightly in the corners, and that meant the car would corner better.

NASCAR stepped in and stopped that, and Keselowski went on to win the title over Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson, who drives a Hendrick car. 

For his part, Johnson told the assembled media that no one from his team(s) had ratted out the Penske pair.

Keselowski talked to reporters after qualifying today, and his reaction was at times guarded, at others typical Keselowski.

Asked if he was surprised by the severity of the penalties (25 driver, 25 owner points, loss of both crew chiefs, a team engineer and team manager for six races and $200,000 in fines) for rear-end housings that violated the spirit of NASCAR’s rules, Keselowski was cagey.

 “I don’t think I’ve been surprised by much of anything in the last two or three days, but I think it’s really important to allow the appeal process to work its way out on its own,” he said. “That’s why it exists.  I’m thankful that there is a process for appeals because, obviously, we’re in an ‘agree to disagree’ stage between Penske Racing and NASCAR, and there’s, thankfully, a third panel or group to settle those disagreements.”  

Translation: I don’t like it, but I’m not dumb enough to add fuel to a flame that’s already burning.

An interesting question followed that one. Asked if he saw similarities between his penalty and that imposed on the 48 team for illegal C-pillars at Daytona last year, which were subsequently reversed, Keselowski was himself.

 “Yeah, I think there’s definitely some similarities,” he said. “I’m not gonna say it’s an identical situation, but there are definitely some similarities, yes.”

He was also asked if he thought HMS turned him in. “I haven’t heard any of them say that to me personally, so I’m not gonna comment on something I haven’t heard one of them say to me.  I’m sure there are some people out there thinking that, but no one has said that to me.”

Translation: Probably, but I’m not going to say that here.

Lastly, he was asked what his comments from last week, where it seemed like he was talking in code, were all about. That’s when he combined cagey and honesty.

 “I think it’s pretty obvious that defining cheating in this sport is something that’s been very poorly done, and I think you all [media] are probably the ones that need to step back and try to figure out how to define that better because, clearly, this garage is having a hard time doing that.”  

Translation: You’d better start doing your job and investigating where all this is coming from, or we’re all in trouble.

Petty, who is NASCAR’s winningest driver and labored under the same spotlight as Johnson did in winning five straight championships, had an answer to the penalties themselves.

”I think when something like this happens, it tees them [NASCAR] off, because they think they have everything covered.”

Translation: NASCAR put its foot down, first on the way the drivers talk about the new car and now on liberties taken with the rules for it, and if you dabble in the gray area, prepare to have stuff fall on you from great heights.