Weekly NASCAR cheating report
02/15/08 Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he is disappointed in his JR Motorsports Nationwide Series team following a rules violation at Daytona International Speedway.
“We’ve got good cars, this car won here last year … Everybody tries to get a little bit out of their cars and bend the rules and get in the gray area, but our guys were trying a little too hard on the cars and didn’t need it," Earnhardt Jr. said after his qualifying lap.
“The cars pretty good, so we all learned a lesson down here. We’ll move forward. We’ll have to deal with some penalties probably next week … which is pretty much standard. But we’ll be all right."
02/15/08 Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway hasn't been perfect for Dale Earnhardt Jr. after all.
The No. 5 car Earnhardt will drive in Saturday's Nationwide Series opener was impounded by NASCAR on Thursday night after officials discovered the team altered the spoiler to create an aerodynamic advantage following inspection.
The car was returned on Friday morning minus the trunk lid and spoiler, repaired and sent back through inspection. It will be allowed to run in the race.
Joe Balash, the Nationwide Series director, said further sanctions against the team and crew chief Chad Walter will be issued on Tuesday. NASCAR officials considered sending Walter home because the offense was considered blatant, but opted to hold off on what could result in a suspension.
Rick Hendrick is listed as the car owner, but the car is co-owned by Hendrick and Earnhardt and run by JR Motorsports in Mooresville, N.C. ESPN.com