Hyder & Kennedy suspensions to be lifted

NASCAR will lift the indefinite suspensions of crew chief David Hyder and competition director Bobby Kennedy on May 30, NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said on Friday. Hyder and Kennedy were suspended when NASCAR discovered an unidentified substance in the engine of #55-Michael Waltrip's car before qualifying for the Daytona 500 in February. Both were escorted from the facility and have not been to a track since. Hyder was fired last month before the race at Talladega Superspeedway. "Bobby got booted by association," Waltrip said Friday at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "He was supposed to oversee all of the cars and the 55 was the one found to be outside of the rules. It took us a little while to understand what to do. It's such a devastating blow, and we just decided to end the association with Hyder. Bobby has been with me for seven or eight years, and we've never gotten into any trouble for anything. I don't know Hyder and I know Bobby. Bobby has never had that type of personality, and ultimately the crew chief is responsible for the car as NASCAR so eloquently pointed out last week." Waltrip said Kennedy's role has been redefined and he's not sure what the new role will be. Waltrip, who met with NASCAR officials again last week, hopes this brings closure to ordeal. "They told us what was found in the intake was obviously a substance that was put there on purpose to enhance performance, and it had to be done by someone inside our company or inside our circle," Waltrip said. "I don't want to single out Hyder. I do want to say that a couple of the guys who came with him are no longer employed by us." ESPN.com