Historic penalties issued after illegal tires found

March 31, 2015 Greg Engle Main Page, NASCAR News Top Story, Top Stories 0

MARTINSVILLE, VA - MARCH 27: Ryan Newman, driver of the #31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet, looks on in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 27, 2015 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
MARTINSVILLE, VA - MARCH 27: Ryan Newman, driver of the #31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet, looks on in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 27, 2015 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
MARTINSVILLE, VA – MARCH 27: Ryan Newman, driver of the #31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet, looks on in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 27, 2015 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

NASCAR issued historic penalties Tuesday to Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Sprint Cup team with driver Ryan Newman after finding altered tires used in a race March 22 in Fontana, California. Driver Newman was docked 75 driver points and car owner Richard Childress  75 owner points. The penalty drops Newman from sixth to 27th in the series standings.

Luke Lambert, crew chief for Newman,  was fined $125,000 and suspended from the next six Cup races plus any non-points races during that span. He’s also been placed on probation through December 31/. In addition, James Bender, the team’s tire technician, and Philip Surgen, a team engineer, have been suspended from the next six races, including any non-points events during that time and placed on probation through December 31.

“NASCAR takes very seriously its responsibility to govern and regulate the rules of the sport in order to ensure competitive balance,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer in an emailed statement announcing the penalties.“We’ve been very clear that any modifications to race vehicle tires is an unacceptable practice and will not be tolerated.” MORE>>>

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Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.