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Local racing: Penalties against Germain Racing team upheld
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Having lost one off-track battle during the week, the locally owned Germain Racing team and lead NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Todd Bodine get back to the on-track business Saturday.
Currently fourth in the NCTS points standings, Bodine, who drives the No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota Tundra, will be among those rubbing fenders in the Camping World 200 at the Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis.
The race will be run at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and the starting grid will be decided in a late-morning qualifying session.
Earlier in the week, the National Stock Car Racing Commission announced that it would not change the ruling NASCAR made against Bodine, his crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. and the team following the race at the Nashville Superspeedway on Aug. 9.
During that postrace tech inspection, NASCAR officials determined that the right side bed panel height of Bodine’s truck did not conform to the rules. The team acknowledged the maximum height had been exceeded, but argued that the infraction resulted from a rear spring slipping out of its perch.
The commission found that the height violation was straightforward and that the penalties were appropriate for the infraction.
The penalties assessed were:
• A loss of 25 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship truck owner points for owner Steve Germain
• A loss of 25 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship driver points for Bodine
• A $2,500 fine for Hillman
The team paid the $2,500 fine prior to requesting an appeal hearing.
Bodine is coming off a second-place run in the truck series’ most recent event, the O’Reilly 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 20.
Bodine will drive one of three Germain Racing trucks at Gateway. Also on the entry list are series rookies Justin Marks and Chrissy Wallace.
Hoping to make her hometown racing debut, Wallace, the 20-year-old daughter of Germain Racing’s Nationwide Series leadfoot Mike Wallace, will have to qualify for Saturday’s race on time. She has run a three-race, limited NCTS schedule this year and hopes to run for rookie of the year honors with a full schedule next year.
* * *
Weather has derailed the stock car racing at the Charlotte County Motorsports Park in Punta Gorda the last two weekends. Officials and drivers hope the trend changes this weekend.
The Sportsman drivers will return to do battle for 50 laps, with Bradenton’s Steve Gainey the man to beat after scoring three straight victories. The points leader is Aaron Williamson.
The Open Wheels will run a 50-lap feature. Also on the track will be the Road Warriors, Thunder Trucks, Pro 4 and Fab 4 and Legend machines.
The pit gates open at 9 a.m. Saturday. Front gates are to open at 4 p.m. and racing is to begin at 6.
There will be no practice tonight due to go-kart racing.
The Charlotte County Motorsports Park is located just south of the Charlotte County Airport on Piper Road. Take I-75 Exit 161.
* * *
While in recent years he did not participate in the “championship series” events in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup action, Naples’ Billy Bigley Jr. did travel to the Mansfield Motorsports Park in Ohio last weekend for the first of four “playoff” races.
While there are Southern Division and Northern Division races throughout the summer, the championship series combines the best drivers of the two divisions.
In the Charlie Campbell Memorial Sears Auto Center 250 at the half-mile Mansfield oval, Bigley started 24th and finished 13th. He was one of 20 cars to finish on the lead lap in the race won by Benny Gordon of DuBois, Pa.
The next race in the championship series will be Sept. 20 at Iowa Speedway.
Tom Rife’s local racing column appears Friday. E-mail Tom at heart22@comcast.net.
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NASCAR . . . the "Cookie-Cutter Sport" . . . . is becoming a JOKE!!! Does anyone remember the show . . . The Stepford Wives?
Toyota arrives on the scene and their engines out perform those from the Good Ol' Boys of Ford, Chevy and that other "also-ran" U.S. manufacture . . . and when these three start whinnying "Poor me!" . . . NASCAR inserts a special re-stricter plate just for Toyota.
Instead of challenging the "whiners" to improve their technology . . . NASCAR takes the easy way out and "dumb-downs" the sport.
The tracks: Way too many "boring" mile and an half venues . . . and NASCAR's attempt to "dress up a pig" does nothing to eliminate the yawning throughout most of these races.
Now with the opportunity to FINALLY inject some excitement into the sport . . . i.e. . . . the Carl Edwards - Kyle Busch after-race encounter . . . NASCAR slaps them with a six-race probation.
Com'on NASCAR . . . loosen up a little!!!
I suggest getting rid of the COT . . . let NASCAR establish a limit on HP . . . safety equipment, etc . . . and then leave it up to each manufacture enter the car that gives them the best opportunity to compete . . . but I suppose doing that would also be boring . . . as all 43 of the entries would be Toyotas!
I think I'd rather watch the Stepford Wives . . . at least with this movie . . . there's some real excitement! The only excitement with NASCAR these days . . . is watching Carl Edwards doing his back-flip!!!
YAWN!
#1 Posted by frankieman on September 5, 2008 at 6:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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