Tire Chaser Gets A Month Off...

The crew member who chased a tire across pit road, forcing NASCAR to throw a race-changing caution at Atlanta Motor Speedway, was suspended four races on Tuesday.

Jimmy Watts, the gas man for Marcos Ambrose's crew, was also placed on probation through the end of the year. Frank Kerr, the crew chief for the No. 47 Toyota, was also placed on probation because NASCAR deemed him responsible for the actions of the team.

Neither NASCAR or JTG Daughtery Racing, which owns Ambrose's team, commented on the incident Tuesday night.

Watts chased a rolling tire across pit road and into the infield grass when it got away from Ambrose's stall during a round of green-flag stops 67 laps into Sunday's race. NASCAR called a caution and the action put more than half the field at least one lap down.

NASCAR officials have indicated that because the tire came to a stop, they likely would have waited until the pit stops had cycled through to call the caution. But because Watts was dangerously close to the racing surface, where cars were passing by at nearly 200 mph, NASCAR had to throw the yellow flag.

Most drivers caught a lap down never recovered, and there were just 12 cars on the lead lap when winner Kurt Busch crossed the finish line.

NASCAR suspended Watts under a rule that prohibits crew members from going onto the race track while cars are racing or while cars are running under yellow or red flags. He was also suspended for the remainder of the race.

Watts, who works full-time as a firefighter for the Charlotte Fire Department, told NASCAR Scene after the race he was simply reacting when he chased the tire.

"I saw the tire going away and it was a reaction, the wrong one," Watts told Scene. "It's not the kind (of incident) I want to be part of."

For those of you who have forgotten what that looked like...
Please view below...Nicole Manske has the wrap-up...
((HT: NASCAR on FOX/NASCAR/ESPN))

Ambrose Team Member Getting More Punishment...?

((HT: ESPN/David Newton))

NASCAR plans to discuss early this week whether to further punish the crew member who forced officials to call a caution that played a role in the outcome of Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Jimmy Watts of Marcos Ambrose's No. 47 team was suspended for the remainder of the race after chasing a tire into the infield grass after it got away from the team during a pit stop.
Any further penalty likely would be announced on Tuesday or Wednesday.

"NASCAR will discuss the possibility," an official said.

NASCAR was forced to call the caution on Lap 67 because Watts was in harm's way had a car spun out or lost control coming off Turn 4. The caution came in the middle of green flag pit stops, putting almost half the field a lap down.

Had Watts not chased after the tire, NASCAR likely would have waited for green flag stops to be completed before throwing the caution.

"I saw the tire going away and it was a reaction -- the wrong one," Watts told SceneDaily.com.

Watts' flap baffled some of the drivers.

"Maybe he's new," said Matt Kenseth, who rallied from a lap down to finish 12th. "Maybe he hasn't seen us drive, but we tend to wreck a lot. I wouldn't want to be out in the middle of the grass."

Race winner Kurt Busch was among those who did not go a lap down. His crew chief, Pat Tryson, said he would have come off the top of his pit box had it been one of his crew members.

"We know better than that," he said. "I'm sure that person is going to learn."

Ambrose said after the race his team will look into the situation.

"We don't want to ruin anybody's race -- especially NASCAR's," he said. "We want to play by the rules and do everything right. If we did something wrong then we need to look at it and not do it again."

Crew members are subject to penalty for actions detrimental to stock car racing. In 2006, a member of Clint Bowyer's team was suspended for several weeks because he did not place racing fuel in the designated collection area.

Crew chief Gil Martin also was fined $2,500 because he was considered responsible for the crew member's action.

Allen Bestwick on the four-letter's "NASCAR Now" program catches up with the fron tire-changer of the #47 car- DJ Copp- to get his perspective on the incident.
((HT:ESPN/NASCAR/NASCAR on Fox))