NASCAR has issued penalties, suspensions and fines to the No. 48 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as a result of rules infractions found on Feb. 17 during opening day inspection for
the Daytona 500.

The No. 48 car was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car
racing); 12-4J (any determination by NASCAR officials that race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the rule book or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the event); and 20-2.1E (if in the judgment of NASCAR officials, any part or component of the car not previously approved by NASCAR that has been installed or modified to enhance aerodynamic performance will not be permitted – unapproved car body
modifications).

Namely the C window pillars flared out.

As a result, crew chief Chad Knaus and car chief Ron Malec have been suspended from the next
six (6) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship events, suspended from NASCAR  until April 18 and placed on NASCAR probation until May 9.

Additionally, Knaus  has been fined $100,000.

Driver Jimmie Johnson and car owner Jeff Gordon have been penalized with the loss of 25 driver
and 25 owner points, respectively.

Is anyone going to fine NASCAR for that rotten Daytona 500?

No.

ET

It won’t stop raining at Daytona Beach!

So NASCAR has decided to “try” and run the Daytona tonight at 7.

Prime time TV, and no Oscar’s to compete with.

How did that happen?

Raceline tonight at 11: Pre Daytona stuff with Robert Yates and Azhar Mohammad on CMS.

Wanna bet we get more stars on than the NHL draft deadline?

ET Raceline

Light rain at Daytona this morning…

80% chance of rain the rest of the day!

We looking at a Monday 500?

Right now the weather for Monday looks just as wet!!

ET Raceline

Danica Patrick recovered from that grinding crash in the dual at Daytona, to put her Dale Earnhardt Junior entry on the pole for Saturday’s Nationwide dash.

Nice work Danica-Sue!

But it’s the hands-off-the-wheel thing I need to vent about!

Some of the so-called media hacks at Daytona claim Danica’s reflex action, taking her hands off the wheel and putting them up on her visor just before impact in the duel was fear, and she was covering her eyes!
Really?

How stupid!

In open wheel, you are trained to remove your hands from the wheel when anticipating impact, because the kick back from the steering and the small wheel can ( and has! ) break your thumbs and/or wrists!

It was a very smart move on her part.

For her to have to even answer questions about her covering her eyes in fear is just sexist ignorance!

I like Danica, and she has been good to this show.

And I admire her even more when she handles the stupidity from the trogs in our midst who dismiss her because she’s female!

That kind of thinking boggles my mind!

ET Raceline

Final weekend of the Auto Show! Come on down and bench race!

Pick me a Daytona 500 winner!

Mine?

Edwards!

South Building, 800 level. Here until 5:30 tonight, 12-4 Saturday and Sunday!

Complete Daytona wrap plus Robert Yates and Canadian Motor Speedway Sunday night and next week on Raceline Radio!

ET Raceline

The Canadian Motorsport Hall of fame is going to induct Michael Andretti into the ranks

at their gala din-din in April.

A quarter of Michael’s 40 CART/ChampCar wins came on Canadian soil including a cosmic 7 wins of the Toronto Indy, going back to back with wins 3 times!

I do my bit for the Hall, voicing the biographies of the 7 other inductees from scripts compiled by Tim Miller of the Hamilton Spectator.

Norris McDonald of the Toronto Star MC’s the splashy affair.

This year’s plate-rattler features James Hinchcliffe as the guest speaker, the night his new boss goes into the Hall so it should be a right old knees up!

I think Miss Janice will join me at the the due this year.

Ok, let’s get silly with the crystral ball!

Give me your winner pick for this Sunday’s 54th running of the Daytona 500.

I’ll go with Carl Edwards.

You?

ET

Join us at 7 PM after another one of Alex Sixiero’s nifty update sign-off’s for this week’s offering of Raceline Radio!

Azhar Mohammad gives us a comment on the June 18th OMB hearing start for the historic Canadian Motor Speedway Development in Metro Niagara…

Our Daytona 500 preview continues with the man who’ll lead ‘em of from the pole in Florida next Sunday, Carl Edwards, recorded last week at the Canadian Motorsports Expo!

“Flipper” is one of the sports great interviews and good guys!

To celebrate our 20th anniversary on the air, it’s episode one of our brand new “Raceline Rewind” feature, brought to you by Subaru.

We go back into the Raceline audio vault to re-air our interview with our very first guest from May 7th, 1992, with NASCAR TV pioneer Ken Squier.

Squier revolutionized the way stock car racing is televised and how we view it today, when he pursuaded CBS Sports to televise the Daytona 500 live, flag-to-flag back in 1979.

He was also the first to borrow in-car or in-boat TV cameras from Australian TV, and use them to give us the athlete’s view of the action, along with the first use of in-car radio’s to speak to the drivers during cautions!

And we spin another round of our world famous Tissot/Raceline E-Mail Bag contest!

Raceline Radio, show # 8 for the season, tonight after the update at 7 on Sportsnet 590 The FAN!

ET

Day 3 at the Canadian International ( Toronto ) Auto Show, 800 level, South building, Metro Toronto Convention Center!

Stop by!

Win an always decent Tissot watch and/or a VIA Rail trip for 2 from Toronto to Vancouver.

And back again of course.

Here at the Sportsnet 590 The FAN booth doing live cut in’s until 4, then off to CHML Hamilton for Raceline Radio!

Another Daytona 500 preview show featuring:

Carl Edwards from The Canadian Motorsports Expo!

NASCAR TV pioneer Ken Squier, our new “Raceline Rewind”  feature brought to you by Subaru to celebrate our first 20 years on the radio! Ken was our very first show guest, May 7th, 1992!

Azhar Mohammad, chief developer, Canadian Motorsport Speedway announces the Ontario Municipal Board hearing start date, a huge step forward for the project…

And Ron Fellows talks about The Canadian Tire naming rights for Mosport International!

Raceline Radio on Sportsnet 590 The FAN Monday night at 7!

Join us!

ET

Developers have told Raceline Radio the start date for the critical Ontario Municipal Board hearing on the Canadian Motor Speedway complex in Fort Erie will be June 18th.
The clock is now officially ticking for those opposed to the track to come up with hard technical evidence the complex is not a good idea for the area and region, while the developers of course have to prove the opposite.
We are one BIG step closer to Canada’s first one mile high-banked oval for NASCAR and IndyCar designed by Jeff Gordon, and a 2.6 mile road course designed by Derek Daly.
Stay tuned to the Raceline Radio Network for the latest news and exclusive radio coverage of this historic Canadian Motor Speedway story!
ET Raceline

Hmm… isn’t this how we do it every week at our neighbourhood speedway?

Get a load of this:

The IZOD IndyCar Series will use heat races for qualifying at Iowa Speedway this year.

First-year race director Beaux Barfield, a recent Raceline Radio guesty says the heat races are a trial balloon for something the series could implement at certain ovals in 2013.

The IndyCar Series currently uses single-car qualifying on ovals, and 3 rounds of qualifications on road and street courses like Toronto and Edmonton.

Qualifying for the June 22 race at Iowa will consist of three 30-lap heats, the field in each heat will be set by practice times.

One heat will determine the top 10 starting spots, the other 2 heats will determine odd-numbered starting positions 11 to 31 and even-numbered starting positions for 12 to 32.

The series will revert to single-car qualifying for the season finale at Auto Club Speedway in California.

Should we make these guys draw for position too? Man the water bottles!

I think this is a GREAT idea!

You?

ET