NASCAR Plays by Rules

Today’s NASCAR is doing its best to wipe out the vestiges of its beginnings.

The Nextel Cup media guide never mentions that the sport grew from bootleggers racing one another in vacant Carolina lots to show who was fastest when running from revenuers. As far as NASCAR is concerned, stock car racing started on the old beach course in Daytona Beach, Fla.

That may be historically correct, but it says nothing of where the drivers and their cars came from. It’s as if a history of the United States left out the cowboys and Indians.

Recently, NASCAR has been trying to break away from its Southeastern image.

North Wilkesboro, one of its original tracks, steeped in tradition, was dropped several years ago. This year, there is no race for North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, a fixture on the schedule since 1965. The Southern 500 in Darlington, S.C., one of its most historic races, was dropped.

There are now more races in California, three, than in North Carolina, two.

The latest challenge to history is NASCAR’s recent crackdown on rules violations.

Seven-time champion Richard Petty said, several decades ago, “If you ain’t cheatin’ a little, you ain’t likely to be competitive.”

What he meant was that the best mechanics, like his brother Maurice and cousin Dale Inman, would find ways to work around the letter of the law to squeeze out a bit more speed.

Petty advised Bill Elliott, when the Georgian was setting speed records with engines built by brother Ernie, “to not show too much, not show all your cards, ‘less NASCAR will find a way to pull you back.”

That has been the France way since Big Bill founded NASCAR in 1948 -- keep changing the rules to keep the car makes as equal as possible.

It would appear that NASCAR is so intent on flexing its muscles today that it is resorting to nitpicking, handing down edicts that could affect the outcome of the Nextel Cup championship more than racing on the track. After last Sunday’s race in Las Vegas, both winner Jimmie Johnson and runner-up Kyle Busch’s Chevrolets failed to pass post-race inspections.

The roof height on Johnson’s No. 48 was found to be too low, the quarter-panel heights on Busch’s No. 5 were too high. Both had passed pre-race inspections.

For a fraction of an inch in an area where Johnson claims the difference was more harmful than helpful, he was docked 25 points toward the Chase for the Championship and crew chief Chad Knaus was suspended for two races and fined $35,000.

It was as if Johnson had finished fourth instead of first. The change in points gave third-place finisher Kurt Busch the series lead after three races.

Andy Gustafson, Busch’s crew chief, was also suspended for two weeks, fined $25,000 and Busch lost 25 driver points.

Car owner Rick Hendrick appealed the sanctions and Knaus and Gustafson will be in the pits Sunday at Atlanta, pending the outcome of the appeal.

“The whole goal is to pick the back of the car up,” Johnson said after the race. “The roof height has to meet a maximum. Our back was low, so it dropped the car. Our car was at a disadvantage. If it was the other way, and the back of the car was high, that’s one of the gray areas that a crew chief has to push.”

The height change, Johnson said, was caused by bolts that came loose during the 400-mile race.

NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter told Associated Press, “Guys have just got to stop playing games with the rules. We’ve got to do whatever we have to do to protect the integrity of the sport.”

Todd Berrier, crew chief for Kevin Harvick’s fifth-place car, was fined $25,000 and suspended for four weeks for a flagrant violation, rigging a fuel tank that appeared to be full, but wasn’t, during qualifying. Berrier, who is not appealing, admitted that Harvick’s car had only five gallons of fuel instead of the mandatory 22 gallons. Harvick also lost 25 driver points.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a bad day during last Sunday’s Las Vegas race when he ran into the back of Brian Vickers’ car and knocked both of them out of the race after only 11 laps.

Las Vegas columnist Norm Clarke might have found the reason, noting that “Junior and some of his mates were spotted partying at the ‘X’ topless revue, the Palms Ghost Bar, Mix at the Hotel at Mandalay Bay and Body English at the Hard Rock.”

The race drew a sellout crowd of 156,000 and Las Vegas Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith announced that the track would build an additional 14,000 seats before next year’s Nextel Cup race. The new grandstand, in the first turn, will be named for Petty.

Last Laps

Aussie Mat Mladin took a big step toward winning his sixth AMA superbike championship by winning the Daytona 200 for the fourth time Saturday. Mladin, who will be at California Speedway for the Suzuki Superbike Challenge on May 1, rode a Yoshimura Suzuki to a 3.4-second win over England’s Neil Hodgson.

Ray Wilkings, former manager of the Saugus and Irwindale Speedways, has been named general manager of Atlanta Dragway, a National Hot Rod Assn. track.

After winning at Bakersfield Speedway last week, Cory Kruseman will be at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix this weekend to defend his title in the Sokola Classic, a USAC/CRA series sprint car event.

Linny White, Perris Auto Speedway super stock champion from Colton, is moving to North Carolina to pursue his racing career in the Southeast.... Cal Club will open its season at Buttonwillow Raceway Park this weekend with five races each on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.

Howard Haight, 52, of Upland, defeated Rick McGee, 32, of Exeter, in the March Meet top-fuel final Sunday at Famoso Raceway. Haight upset four-time winner Jim Murphy in the semifinals.

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This Week

*--* NASCAR NEXTEL CUP Golden Corral 500

*--*

* When: Today, qualifying (Speed Channel, 4 p.m.); Sunday, race (Channel 11, 9:30 a.m.).

* Where: Atlanta Motor Speedway (oval, 1.54 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).

* Race distance: 500.5 miles, 325 laps.

* 2004 winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

* Next race: Food City 500, April 3, Bristol, Tenn.

*--* NASCAR BUSCH Aaron’s 312

*--*

* When: Saturday, qualifying (Speed Channel, 9 a.m.); race (FX, noon).

* Where: Atlanta Motor Speedway.

* Race distance: 312.62 miles, 203 laps.

* 2004 winner: Matt Kenseth.

* Next race: Pepsi 300, March 26, Lebanon, Tenn.

*--* NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS World Financial Group 200

*--*

* When: Today, qualifying, 2 p.m.; race (Speed Channel, 6 p.m.);

* Where: Atlanta Motor Speedway.

* Race distance: 200.2 miles, 130 laps.

* 2004 winner: Bobby Hamilton.

* Next race: Kroger 250, April 9, Martinsville, Va.

*--* FORMULA ONE Malaysian Grand Prix

*--*

* When: Saturday, qualifying, 9 p.m. (Speed Channel, 9:30 p.m.); Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 9:30 a.m., delayed).

* Where: Sepang International Circuit (permanent road course, 3.443 miles, 15 turns), Kuala Lumpur.

* Race distance: 192.808 miles, 56 laps.

* 2004 winner: Michael Schumacher.

* Next race: Bahrain Grand Prix, April 3, Sakhir.

*--* INDY RACING LEAGUE XM Satellite Radio Indy 200

*--*

* When: Today, qualifying, 2:30 p.m.; Saturday, race (Channel 7, noon).

* Where: Phoenix International Raceway (oval, 1 mile, 11 degrees banking in turns 1-2, 9 degrees in turns 3-4).

* Race distance: 200 miles, 200 laps.

* 2004 winner: Tony Kanaan.

* Next race: Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Fla., April 3.

*--* NHRA Mac Tools Gatornationals

*--*

* When: Today, qualifying, 8:30 a.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 8:30 a.m. (ESPN2, 9:30 p.m.); Sunday, eliminations, 8 a.m. (ESPN2, 2 p.m.).

* Where: Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway.

* 2004 winners: Tony Schumacher (top fuel), Del Worsham (funny car), Greg Anderson (pro stock) and Andrew Hines (pro stock bike).

* Next event: O’Reilly Spring Nationals, April 10, Houston.