Edwards Draws Significant NASCAR Penalty

Carl Edwards' No. 99 Roush Fenway Ford may have won the UAW-Dodge 400 last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but NASCAR rained down heavily with penalties on Wednesday.

All of the fines and penalties come directly from Edwards' No. 99 failing post-race inspection due to a oil tank cover not in its correct position.

Edwards' Penalties Include:

100 driver points
100 owner points
10-point Chase bonus for winning a race
Six week suspension for crew chief Bob Osbourne
$100,000 fine for Osbourne
Probation until Dec. 31 for Osbourne

The penalties given are quite similar to those the Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Gordon faced for Car of Tomorrow violations in 2007.

The penalty drops Edwards from first in the point standings to seventh, taking him out of first points lead in his Sprint Cup career.

NASCAR has a big problem with the oil tank cover being loose because in a Sprint Cup car, the oil tank sits in the car itself. Due to the car having a "dry sump oil system", that tank carries about five gallons of oil, and the tank cover is designed to keep that hot oil in and away from the driver in the event of a malfunction.

In theory, though I'm not completely sure how, the lack of a cover can also add downforce to the car because air can move between the oil tank cover area and the inside of the race car, making the car drive better around the track. Some articles after the race connected Jeff Gordon saying that "he just shot of a cannon" and the possibility that Edwards removed the cover himself during the race.

The plausibility of such an event seems a little out there.

I'd say its not very likely that the No. 99 went through pre-race inspection with the cover missing, so something went afoul at some point during the race.

Expect Edwards and Co. to appeal this penalty this week, especially with several Nationwide Series teams winning appeals from a similar problem during qualifying at Daytona.

A significant part of that ruling, I'd think, would have to be based on the fact that Edwards won a race with his problem, and those teams had their times disallowed prior to racing.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

3-05-2008 @ 5:57PM

nick said...

Carl, if you get any uglier, my screen is going to explode...........................

3-05-2008 @ 6:21PM

Frederick said...

I said it before and i will say it again

other comish in different leagues should take note. These are real penalties. They hurt him for the entire season.

Nascar has always been number 1 I find to lay down the law. They dont care if its jimmie Johnson Gordon Earnhardt or anyone. You cheat you will pay the price

I think Bud and gary Bettman should take note especially

3-05-2008 @ 6:39PM

SRF said...

WOW...is NASCAR showing their bias, or what???

5 cars with a similar problem in the NWI series and most of those rescinded or reduced. The largest penalty for those violations was 25 points and $25,000.

NASCAR has once again shown how they favor certain teams (Hendricks, DEI, etc.) and unfairly punish Roush-Fenway teams.

How many chase point bonuses where taken from Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon??

Go Carl Edwards!!!

3-05-2008 @ 6:41PM

99fan said...

thats o.k .. he is still ahead of ALL FOUR hendrick cars after losing 100 points. he will make it up.

3-05-2008 @ 6:51PM

Lalove said...

Thay should take the win from (Edwards!)I hope the car owners soon look some were else to run there show,and let the car owners fix the cars the way thay want.

3-05-2008 @ 7:10PM

Don Emerson said...

Wow is Edwards and his team as dumb as buckets? You'd have to think so after being caught with such an obvious violation. I think Carl was supposed to put the cover back on in the closing laps, but due to all the caution flags and restarts, wasn't able to. That's probably what caused all the loose oil cover penaties at Daytona, the drivers didn't have time to fasten them properly before reinspection. They should have made the lids magnetic, with fake bolts/screws to fool the inspectors. Wonder how many other drivers got their covers back on before inspection. better luck next time Carl. Works for me....

3-05-2008 @ 7:57PM

mrhammerstein said...

i don't know how you can say NASCAR gets it right when he was caught cheating but still won the race.

if you cheat, you should be dropped to the bottom. if you don't like that, fire your crew chief.

3-05-2008 @ 8:04PM

Maureen Parenti said...

oh stop bitching and moaning about nascar playing favorites with the hendricks cars and all the others, u cheat u pay get a grip he cheated and now he has to pay. GOOD FOR U NASCAR U GOT THIS ONE RIGHT

3-05-2008 @ 8:10PM

dalejrsucks said...

0-64..

3-05-2008 @ 9:57PM

K said...

WTG Nascar for catching another cheating!!! If you cheat you have to pay the price. I see a lot of Hendrick haters, it must be because you are jelouse!!! Hendrick got caught cheating last year, they paid for their crime and did their time without crying and moaning about it, but I guess Edwards is going to cry and moan about it. $100,000 is pocket change to these guys, and Nascar knows this so they go to the next best thing to get these guys and it's their points, WTG Nascar for getting a cheater and hitting them where it counts, by the points and taking their crew chief away. Edwards team knew what they were doin when they took the oil cover off. Cheating leaves a bad taste in your mouth, maybe this will tell other teams not to do a stupid thing like this or risk getting 100 points taken away, 100 owner points and 10 bonus points. Edwards wasn't going to stay #1 anyway, he would have fallen on his own, but cheating made it happen sooner, so WTG Edwards you dumb a$$!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHA for getting caught!! You just looked the way you sound!!!

3-05-2008 @ 10:56PM

Marsha said...

I think Nascar is getting to big for their pants they think they are GOD. You can always tell what driver they are backing, they start taking points away from the good drivers that win so it ends with their pick in the lead. Whos is your pick this year Nascar? Great work Carl you won fair and square. Your the man in my book.

3-06-2008 @ 1:57AM

Randy Coursey said...

If the dry-oil-sump cover came loose during the race and it appears that could be the case and it didn't give Carl a down-force advantage, (not sure how it could anyway), then I hope he wins his appeal. But we all know he won't cause he's driving the wrong car.

NASCAR can't stand to have a Ford lead in the points, even this early. They are a gm tool for marketing. They chevy use the all-time wins commercial evey weekend. Ford held that record in Grand National, Cup Racing for more than 50 years and NEVER used it as a marketing tool. gm tries, but they aren't making squat, they lost 39 billion last year alone. Hey gm, you could save some cash by dropping your stupid commercials.

3-06-2008 @ 1:19AM

It's a blowtie show people. Funny though, gm continues to loose money,(39 billion last year) and yet they still race. Why, you ain't sell'in that crap gm. NASCAR needs a new BED PARTNER. Are you ready Toyota???

3-06-2008 @ 1:37AM

toadyRJ said...

It's a phoney gm show Carl, you don't have a chance!

3-08-2008 @ 12:43AM

barbara said...

nascar is in the wrong not carl. learn how to run nascar. the car of carl could not go on the track if the cap was off when nascar inspect is car.the cap came off when carl was driving the car nascar needs new owners, not the ones they have now. go go carl have a good year. win win win.

3-06-2008 @ 1:53AM

randle_c6 said...

I smell Clidesdale Bud piss here. That pan cover sory is another attempt to drive the Cat "N" The Hat to maddness.

NASCAR'S got the bow-tie too far up their asses.

3-06-2008 @ 2:19AM

Dale Dodge Jr said...

Sometimes...Life's not always fair. Dale Dodge Jr...

http://www.freewebs.com/dadracing

3-06-2008 @ 3:18AM

Susan Ohio said...

I think it is important that Carl's oil cap was missing, it was a post race inspection and he won that race. If your going to have people suspended for having loose caps during pre-race inspection then it doesn't sound that Nascar is biased. Rousch knew the Consequences for cheating and that the issue came up before. Jack Roush claims every year that Nascar writes specific rules to hurt him. I know that the 48, 24, 88 have all endured severe team penalties. Saying s.ht cost Jr critical points. I think it's unfair to say Nascar is unfair in this area because I do not see a double standard.

3-06-2008 @ 3:49AM

Brad said...

#9......OH WOW...HOLY HORSEPUCKY there Dalesucker....is that all you can come up with....well at least it lets us all know you have at least 3 friends because I'm pretty sure you could never have counted that high without 3 more sets of fingers and toes.

Aloha, Brad

3-06-2008 @ 5:02AM

TODD DUFFLEY said...

I read most of everyone's comments and I don't think Nascar has fav's toward anyone,or anyteam,they don't have to,its their game their rules,what it all comes down to is money! They have to inforce the rule's no matter who you..