by Larry McReynolds

How low can you go?

Jerry from East Bernard, Texas: So now that Jeff Gordon is a cheater too, why is his crime considered an honest mistake? Once again, NASCAR seems to say anything a Hendrick crew does is not cheating and not worthy of a points deduction. If this had been a Ford, Dodge or even Toyota, points would have been deducted.

Photo Gallery... Harvick wins Daytona 500 Analysis... Spencer: DW: I've seen fire and I've seen reign McReynolds: Slow, steady wins race Spencer: Video... Kevin Harvick discusses his thrilling win in the Daytona 500. Also... More... Full Daytona coverage | Meet the drivers The Daytona track | NASCAR on FOX

Larry McReynolds: It's totally different than anything else that has happened this week with the other teams and crew chiefs, but when a quarterpanel is almost an inch low and down on the racetrack, that's huge. Getting the rear spoiler out of the air really helps the speed of the race car down the straightaway.

After postrace inspection on Thursday, NASCAR VP of competition Robin Pemberton described a serrated mount and a spacer to which the shock mounts so you can adjust and fine-tune the height of the car. It sounds like the mechanic tightened up the shock, and the teeth hit on top of each other. When Gordon hit a bump hard, it went all the way to the top and lowered the rear of the car.

When you look at the soft front springs that a lot of the teams have been running lately, those teams don't intend for them to collapse, but that's happened in a few situations. At Rockingham in 2002, Mark Martin's left front spring collapsed. They didn't suspend his crew chief, but there was a monetary fine and 25 points were taken away. I agree that it wasn't intentional, but low is low.

Penalty checklist

Chris from Boulder, Colo.: What's your take on all of the other penalties and suspensions?

Larry McReynolds: In one part of my mind, I wondered why all three Evernham cars and the No. 17 car would risk penalties when they were locked in the race. The tweaks to their cars probably weren't going to put them on the pole anyway. Was it really worth it? Gary Nelson, Cup competition director in the early 1990's, used to tell me, "Larry, always remember to weigh the risk vs. the reward."

While I question their actions, I pushed the envelope, clawed , fought and went after anything that I thought may make my race car a little bit better. Kenny Francis with the No. 9, Robbie Reiser with the No. 17, Rodney Childers with the No. 10 and Josh Browne with the No. 19 were doing their jobs, trying to make sure they dotted every "i" and crossed every "t" to make their cars as fast as they could in qualifying.

The No. 9 and No. 17 were trying to take air out from underneath the car through the oil tank boxlid as well as underneath the right rear wheel well. The No. 10 and the No. 19 had spoiler bolts open up, which tells me they were leaking air out from underneath the car, into the trunk. The air has to go somewhere, and they were getting it out through the spoiler bolts.

The goal for all four cars was the same, reducing the drag of the car by getting air out from underneath it. How much did it reduce the drag? I can't say for sure, but these crews knew how much it reduced the drag in the wind tunnel. During testing at Daytona in January, they may have tried the configuration to see how much faster they were on the stopwatch.

The severity of the penalties was different because the infractions on the No. 9 and the No. 17 were found after qualifying, which is why their times were disallowed. Their crew chiefs received $50,000 and 50-point fines plus a four-week suspension. The No. 10 and the No. 19 only received $25,000 fines, 25-point deductions and two-week suspensions, but their time stood because their infractions were caught before qualifying, which means they didn't qualify with those systems in place.

These teams can appeal. Francis and Ray Evernham won't appeal because the No. 9 is already set at Daytona. These teams are so deep that it's not the end of the world to lose a crew chief. If Francis and Robbie Reiser at Roush Racing had appealed their suspensions, they could have stayed on top of the pit box at Daytona. But if the National Stock Car Racing Commission upholds the four weeks after Daytona, Francis and Reiser would miss the fifth race, which is the first Car of Tomorrow race at Bristol.

With each penalty, NASCAR tries to set a precedent, especially at the beginning of the season and at a place where the equipment is so delicate. I hate to see any crew chief start the season on the bench, but they stepped across the line.

Now, onto the bigger subject: Michael Waltrip Racing.

Even a small change can make a big difference at a restrictor plate race. Not locked into the top 35 in points, this team had to qualify on time or race its way into the Daytona 500. NASCAR has a lot of rules and regulations, but they have zero tolerance for violations in three sacred areas: tires, tampering with fuel and big, cubic-inch engines.

I hate it for Michael and Buffy Waltrip, their sponsors and especially Toyota. When Jimmie Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, was suspended for four races last year, his manufacturer, Chevrolet, was never mentioned. Unfortunately, the timing was terrible for Toyota because the Daytona 500 is their first Nextel Cup point race, and only four of the eight Toyotas made the field. But this is not a manufacturer issue. It's strictly a team issue.

In a restrictor plate engine, horsepower means a lot. NASCAR monitors it closely at a place like Daytona and Talladega because the plate cuts the power nearly in half. If you can gain just a little horsepower, it's going to make a big difference so they put an additive in their fuel. NASCAR caught them doing it twice. They might not have done it twice, but it ended up happening with both intake manifolds. While $100,000 is a lot of money and 100 points is a lot of points — especially for a team that's trying to get into the top 35 in owner points — they were very lucky. I was almost a little surprised that NASCAR didn't suspend the driver and the owner for at least four weeks.

It doesn't make any of them bad people. It's a phenomenal achievement for Michael Waltrip Racing to have three brand-new race teams with three major sponsors. But it was a very stupid move on either the organization's part or the person who did it. You just don't make that mistake because you know how closely the inspectors are watching. While you shouldn't risk it anywhere, you might be able to get by with it next week at Fontana because it's not monitored too closely. An additive won't make a big difference with an unrestricted engine.

Adding air

Brian from Sacramento, Calif.: How does the fuel additive that was found in Michael Waltrip's Engine help him in his qualifying effort?

Larry McReynolds: It helps more oxygen flow into the fuel, and the restricted engine is starving for air. If you can enhance the performance of the fuel, it's going to make more horsepower. The guys that build these restrictor plate engines fight and claw to gain two or three horsepower over the course of a year. A little bit is so much because a 1/64th of an inch change on the plate is 12 to 14 horsepower. Maybe they only picked up five or six horsepower, but if it's done right, it will show up on the stopwatch at a plate race track

Fueling suspicion

Sarah from Idaho: NASCAR officals reportedly sneaking around the garage after everyone goes home is a little suspicious. How do we know that somebody else was not sneaking around? How do we know that someone unrelated to Michael s team was not responsible? As a person who was publically accused of a crime and had my reputation and finances placed in total ruin for over a year and only to have charges dismissed, people believe the worst. If Michael says he knew nothing, I believe him. I think Toyota and the rest of his sponsors should at least give him the benefit of doubt.

Larry McReynolds: You can never say anything is absolutely impossible, but it's a huge stretch to say the race car was sabotaged. I'm very confident that the team violated the rule. Did Michael Waltrip know about it? There's a good chance he didn't. I doubt Jimmie Johnson and owner Rick Hendrick knew about the back window on the No. 48 car last year. I would be willing to bet the five other drivers this week didn't know about their violations. That's not what drivers do. They get in the car and go as fast as they can. But it was done within that organization. It's not NASCAR's job to find out who did it. They just know it was done. For that organization to deny it would put more egg on their face. As Michael did on Thursday, the team needs to apologize and move forward.

Starting in a hole

Larry from Warner Robins, Ga.: Since NASCAR has penalized Michael Waltrip 100 points, does that mean he starts the season 100 points in the hole?

Larry McReynolds: Yes, Michael Waltrip and Buffy Waltrip have -100 points in the driver and owner point standings. If he finishes 21st on Sunday and doesn't lead a lap, he'll have zero points after the Daytona 500.

Speed Mail Larry McReynolds
SpeedMail Subject: Comment/Question: Name:  Email:  Hometown:

Starting in a hole, Part II

Mark from Enterprise, Ala.: How come you all kept saying that Sterling needed to race his way in? He finished 34th in points in 2006.

Larry McReynolds: Marlin finished 34th in 2006 driver points, and those points are only used for the driver's championship and getting into the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Everything else is based on owner points, but the No. 14 team finished 36th. You may wonder why owner and driver points aren't the same. Last year, the No. 96 Hall of Fame Racing team had Tony Raines for 29 races and Terry Labonte for seven races. The No. 38 car of Robert Yates Racing had Elliott Sadler for 22 races and David Gilliland for 14 races. Those team ran all 36 races and finished ahead of Marlin the owner standings.

Out of bounds

Fred from Montreal: Could you explain why passing under the yellow line is outlawed only at restrictor plate races?

Larry McReynolds: It's an issue at Daytona and Talladega because the only way to pass a driver at these tracks is to go out of bounds while running three-wide in a big pack. It's not even an issue anywhere else. At most race tracks, you wouldn't want to go below the yellow line because you would end up wrecked.

---

FOX race analyst Larry McReynolds has more than 25 years of NASCAR experience as a mechanic, crew chief and broadcaster. He and his fellow Crew Chief Club members take you behind the wall at www.crewchiefclub.com.

"How to Become a Winning Crew Chief" is on bookstore shelves, or you may order your own autographed copy from www.DWStore.com.