Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 11, 1992 TAG: 9202110259
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: Long
CHEATERS PLEAD GUILTY AT DAYTONA
So Jimmy Means and Travis Carter, how do you plead to NASCAR's accusations of cheating?Guilty as charged, the two NASCAR Winston Cup team owners said Monday at Daytona International Speedway as practice continued for Sunday's Daytona 500.
"They caught it," said Carter, whose car is driven by Jimmy Spencer. "It's as simple as that. There's nothing real flabbergasting about that."
Owner-driver Means said: "There are a whole lot of finer names in racing than me who have got caught before. It's no big deal. You just accept the consequences and do something better the next time.
"For every one, two, three or four [illegal] things they find on a race car, there are 10 more they didn't find. They don't get mad at you. We don't get mad at them. You just accept the consequences. That's the name of the game."
The cars of Means and Carter were found with illegal spring-mounted rear deck lids, while the cars of Harry Gant and Rusty Wallace were caught with illegal screw jacks.
In all four cases, NASCAR said, the illegal parts were designed to improve aerodynamics.
Wallace's team was fined $2,000 Sunday, while the Means and Carter cars were not allowed to run for the Daytona 500 pole. The violation on Gant's car was discovered after qualifying, so NASCAR disallowed his run, which had been fifth fastest on the day.
As of Monday afternoon, NASCAR had not announced any further penalties.
While Means and Carter admitted they had sidestepped the rules, the crew chiefs for Gant and Wallace said they had done nothing intentionally wrong.
"I told [NASCAR] that, but they said they had a black and white rule with no gray area," said Andy Petree, Gant's crew chief. "Our car was a small amount too low and I couldn't explain it to them."
Wallace's crew chief, Eddie Dickerson, also said he did not try to violate NASCAR rules.
After qualifying at 190.702 mph - the fastest of any General Motors car - Gant's Oldsmobile was found to be a quarter-inch too low at the bottom of the front air dam.
Means said his spring-mounted rear deck lid was designed to allow the wind to push the rear deck about three-quarters of an inch lower to "get the spoiler down out of the air more."
It might seem that a fraction of an inch wouldn't make any difference. But several crew chiefs said Monday that if a Winston Cup car is a quarter-inch below legal height, that could make it a mile an hour or more faster.
Means didn't expect to get caught because "I hadn't in the past. You don't ever think you're going to get caught. If you did, you wouldn't do it."
NASCAR's new technical director, Gary Nelson was perhaps the sneakiest of all crew chiefs until he jumped ship last November and joined NASCAR.
"This was nothing Gary Nelson hasn't done himself," said Means. "That's the reason we got caught."
Gant, Means and Spencer were among 18 drivers who made qualifying attempts Monday, and to no one's surprise, Gant was the fastest. His speed of 189.693 mph was about one mile per hour slower than his disallowed Sunday speed.
"The wind blowed a little harder down the backstretch than it did yesterday and it hurt the speed," Gant said Monday after the run.
But Spencer, who was disappointed with his run of 184.847 mph, which was eighth fastest on the day, said: "I don't believe the track is any slower today than yesterday. We just didn't run a lick since we came off the trailer and we still aren't running good."
Means had a respectable run of 186.467 mph, which was sixth fastest. But he thought "yesterday would have been a better day to run" because it was a few degrees cooler.
Morgan Shepherd was second fastest Monday at 189.609, followed by the never-say-die A.J. Foyt, who wasn't ready to run Sunday, but posted a lap of 189.609 mph Monday. Lake Speed found an additional three miles per hour overnight and ran at 187.211 mph.
Fifth fastest was Ken Schrader, whose 186.621 mph lap was three-tenths of a mile per hour slower than his Sunday speed. Schrader is more than five miles per hour slower than pole sitter Sterling Marlin, who was fastest of all at 192.213 mph Sunday.
"I guess it's time to punt," Schrader said. "Better ask Coach [Joe] Gibbs. I just have no idea what to tell you. We were faster Friday than we were yesterday, and we're slower today."
For Gant, Sunday's disqualification time means he will start his 125-mile qualifying race Thursday from around the eighth row, rather than row two.
"Having yesterday's time disallowed was no distraction at all," Gant said. "It didn't bother us none. It's going to be a long 500-mile race. It doesn't matter where you start."
Today's schedule includes first-round qualifying for the Goody's 300 Busch Grand National race.
Michael Waltrip led Grand National practice Monday at 187.735 mph, followed by Dale Earnhardt (187.340 mph), Tracy Leslie (186.823 mph), Joe Nemechek (186.281 mph) and Ernie Irvan (186.251 mph).
The top 10 also included Kenny Wallace, Rick Mast, Darrell Waltrip, Steve Grissom and Schrader.
Marlin said his father, former NASCAR racer Clifton "Coo Coo" Marlin, has been closely following his progress this year.
"He's been burning the phone up," Marlin said. "He's always asking, `How's it running? How's it running?' "
Coo Coo Marlin never won a Winston Cup points race, but did win the second Twin 125 qualifying race here in 1973.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING