Cheating Is an Ongoing Issue

Chad Knaus, the suspended crew chief for NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson, rejoins the team this weekend when the Nextel Cup series stops in Bristol, Tenn., for a race Sunday. But the cheating scandal that tainted the No. 48 Chevrolet, and enveloped stock-car racing as a whole, isn’t over.

NASCAR on Thursday penalized one of Knaus’ peers for also breaking the rules. Larry Hyder, crew chief for Ken Schrader’s Ford, was fined $1,000 for having a side window that was illegally curved before Schrader qualified for last Monday’s rain-delayed race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

NASCAR also fined Chad Norris, crew chief for Matt Kenseth’s Busch series Ford, $5,000 for unapproved modifications before the Atlanta Busch race. And Eddie Buffington, crew chief of the Dodge driven by Tracy Hines in the Busch series, was fined $2,500 for an illegal rear-end gear setup before the race in Las Vegas earlier this month.

There will be more of the same as the season goes on, for cheating has always been a part of stock car racing. Famed drivers such as Richard Petty, with 200 victories, NASCAR’s all-time winner, and the legendary Junior Johnson raced cars with oversized engines and other illegal modifications, and Petty used to say, “If you ain’t cheatin’ a little, you ain’t likely to be competitive.”

NASCAR also had far fewer officials to keep watch then, and its rule book was considerably thinner. Indeed, some observers say the penalties show that NASCAR is doing a better job of policing its beat these days.

Petty, a seven-time Daytona 500 winner and now a team owner, said before last month’s Daytona 500, “I always told my guys, ‘Cheat neat, and you can get by with a bunch of stuff.’ But those days are pretty much over.”

Others aren’t so sure, in light of the recent infractions.

Knaus was suspended for the first four races of this year and fined $25,000 after officials found that he had illegally modified Johnson’s rear window to give the El Cajon driver an aerodynamic edge in qualifying for the Daytona 500.

Even without Knaus, however, Johnson went on to win the race, as well as another in Las Vegas, and he leads the Nextel Cup standings.

The episode left a bitter taste for some NASCAR fans.

“The whole point of NASCAR is that it’s a family-oriented sport,” Tamara Fernandes of Diamond Bar said as she waited for the start of the Auto Club 500 at the California Speedway in Fontana last month. Johnson finished second in that race behind Kenseth.

“[Knaus] didn’t follow the rules and he was suspended for four races? What message does that send? That’s not enough,” said Fernandes, who was wearing a jacket emblazoned with Jeff Gordon, Johnson’s teammate. “For [Johnson] to win the [Daytona 500] on top of it makes me even more angry.”

Flouting the rules, though, is as old as sports, and in auto racing, it even predates NASCAR. These days, however, the stakes are considerably higher.

Stock car racing has flourished, growing from its Southern roots half a century ago to become a hugely popular, multibillion-dollar enterprise with tracks and fans from coast to coast and TV viewership that trails only pro football’s.

NASCAR has grown so successful largely by promoting itself as an exciting, family-friendly sport whose drivers and teams merit the fans’ adulation and the sponsors’ deep pockets by racing fair and square.

Companies that back NASCAR teams aren’t just risking their reputations, but huge sums. The primary sponsors of leading Nextel Cup cars pay an estimated $15 million to $20 million a year to plaster their names on the vehicles, the drivers’ uniforms and at race tracks.

The primary sponsor for Johnson’s car is Lowes Cos., the chain of home-improvement stores, which wasn’t pleased with the unfavorable publicity generated by the Knaus case.

“We were disappointed with the situation, and we shared our concerns with Hendrick Motorsports,” which owns Johnson’s car, said Lowe’s spokeswoman Chris Ahearn.

Still, many in the racing community, including some fans, say they believe widespread cheating continues. It’s just that Knaus got caught.

Johnson’s car “was scrutinized more because he’s a big name, so they looked at this car a little deeper than the other ones, that’s my opinion,” said Joe Lince, 48, a Castro Valley, Calif., fan who also attended the Fontana race. Lince, wearing a Johnson shirt, jacket and cap, said Knaus also got what he deserved. “A suspension was exactly right,” he said. “It sends a message to the other crew chiefs and drivers: Don’t do it.”

Last Laps

* The Indy Racing League opens its season Sunday at the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway. Rookie sensation Danica Patrick returns for Rahal Letterman Racing, and defending Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon has moved from Andretti Green Racing to Target Chip Ganassi’s team.

After Sunday’s race, the series stops at St. Petersburg, Fla., and at the Twin Ring Motegi course in Japan before moving to open-wheel racing’s crown jewel: the Indy 500 on May 28.

That’s when things get really interesting. Two of the sport’s best-known drivers -- Al Unser Jr. and Michael Andretti -- plan to come out of retirement to compete with Wheldon, Patrick and the rest of the field.

* Perris Auto Speedway in Riverside County celebrates its 10th anniversary Saturday with another night of USAC/CRA sprint-car racing. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the first race is 7 p.m.

When the half-mile clay oval track opened March 30, 1996, one of its first winners was J.J. Yeley, who is now a rookie-of-the-year contender in the Nextel Cup series.

* Irwindale Speedway will try for a third time Saturday to get a full night of racing completed in 2006, with races in the super late model, super stock, mini stock, super truck and legend car classes scheduled.

Rain forced postponement of the March 11 program and caused last Saturday’s program to be cut short. Tickets for both March 11 and last Saturday’s races will be honored Saturday, according to Bob DeFazio, track general manager.

* Five-time champion and reigning title holder Valentino Rossi of Italy sets out to defend his No. 1 spot this Sunday when the MotoGP motorcycle racing series opens in Jerez, Spain.

* Shav Glick, longtime motor sportswriter for The Times who retired Jan. 16., will be the honorary starter and wave the green flag at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 9.

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Correspondent Steven Herbert contributed to this report.