Long Suspension Reduced

((HT: CBSSports))

NASCAR driver Carl Long's suspension has been reduced to eight races from a record 12, but his record $200,000 fine remains.

National Stock Car Racing commissioner Charles Strang heard Long's final appeal Monday in Chicago. He announced the reduced suspension Wednesday.

Long, a part-time driver in the Sprint Cup series, was penalized for having an oversized engine at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May. Long and his wife, car owner DeeDee Long, were suspended 12 races and docked 200 points. Crew chief Charles Swing was fined $200,000.

Long appealed in hopes of leniency for his low-budget team. He got some relief, but the fine could keep him from racing again.

"I suppose it's good news," Long told the Associated Press on Thursday. "Eight is better than 12. But they ain't gonna budge on the fine, and they know I can't pay it. They intentionally put it out of my reach."

Long said there is no way Swing will be able to pay the fine, and under NASCAR rules, it would then revert to the car owner. And Long's team won't be allowed to compete until the fine is paid.

More than $16,000 has been raised for Long's cause, with donations coming through his website and from a couple "pass the hat" events at racetracks.

"That's a long ways off from $200,000," Long said. "If I can keep stuff like that going, then maybe $200,000 is in sight. The next thing to do is to stand outside the racetrack with my helmet and beg for change. I'm not above doing it, either."

Long, who competed in 23 races between 2000 and 2006, bought the engine from longtime builder Ernie Elliott and said all the paperwork showed it was within NASCAR specifications. It malfunctioned May 15 during practice for the All-Star race, prompting NASCAR's inspection.

Long could have loaded up his car and gone home instead of turning the engine over to inspectors and trying to qualify for the non-points race with a backup motor.

NASCAR measured the engine at 358.17 cubic inches, 0.17 more than the legal limit.

Long argued in his appeal that the infraction may have been due to an error on the part of the engine builder or expansion due to overheating or general wear and tear on the engine.

NASCAR countered that an oversized engine is one of the most egregious of rules violations and warrants the harshest of penalties.

Strang sided with NASCAR, but reduced the suspension by four weeks.

Long, whose full-time job is working with the Front Row Motorsports team in the Cup series, already has sat out two races. He will be eligible to return to the garage at Watkins Glen in early August. Until then, team owner Bob Jenkins has allowed Long to work solely in the race shop in Denver, N.C.

"I'm very fortunate he keeps me employed," Long said.

Long: "They're Being Bullies..."

((HT: ESPN))

"I'm truly disappointed in NASCAR," Long said. "The sport I love and grew a part of has really given me a sour taste in my mouth."

The commission isolated Long's suspension to the Sprint Cup Series ((his car is pictured, thanks NASCAR Images)), Long said, meaning he can find work in one of the sanctioning body's lower levels. The problem with that, though, is Long's full-time job is working with the Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Chevrolet in the Cup series.

Long said team owner Bob Jenkins was working on a solution.

The commission, which is expected to release its ruling later this week, also told Long the $200,000 fine levied against crew chief Charles Swing would not fall to Long if Swing can't pay it. Long initially thought the fine would revert to his wife, DeeDee, who is listed as the car owner. But the commission said that wasn't the case.

That might seem like good news for the Longs, but it wasn't.

"How's it good news when your best friend's kicked out of the sport?" Long said, adding the Swing can't pay the fine and won't be able to get his NASCAR license renewed without coming up with $200,000.

It was the first oversized engine NASCAR had found since legendary car owner Junior Johnson and crew chief Tim Brewer were suspended 12 weeks for violations at Charlotte in 1991. Their suspensions were reduced to four weeks on appeal.

Long was hoping for the same leniency.

"I had a feeling that some stuff was gonna be changed," Long said. "That's what I was expecting. But they're being bullies, big bullies."

Long could appeal again, taking his case to the National Stock Car Racing Commissioner, Charles Strang. Long hasn't decided his next step.

"If it works just like it did in this one, then it's a waste of time," Long said.

Here's, probably, Long's highlight in NASCAR from Rockingham in 2004...

((HT: NASCAR on FOX/NASCAR))

NASCAR Hears Long Appeal, Still Drops Hammer

From NASCAR their ownselves...

On June 2, 2009, the National Stock Car Racing Commission heard and considered the appeal of 3 penalties issued by NASCAR relative to the #146 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car ((pictured, thanks NASCAR Images)) following inspection of the car’s engine on May 16, 2009 for an event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

The penalties concern Section 12-1 of the NASCAR Rule Book “Actions detrimental to stock car racing”, Section 12-4-I “Any determination by NASCAR Officials that the Race Equipment used in the Event does not conform to NASCAR rules”, and Section 20-5.4A “Engine exceeded the maximum engine size of 358.00 cubic inch displacement.”

The penalties assessed were:

-A loss of 200 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Car Owner Points; suspension from the next 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Events; suspension from NASCAR until August 18, 2009; and probation until December 31, 2009 for owner, Danielle Long

-A loss of 200 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Driver Points; suspension from the next 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Events; suspension from NASCAR until August 18, 2009; and probation until December 31, 2009 for driver, Carl Long

-A $200,000 fine; suspension from the next 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Events; suspension from NASCAR until August 18, 2009; and probation until December 31, 2009 for crew chief, Charles Swing

The Appellants requested and were granted a deferral of the fine and suspension penalties until such time as this hearing could be convened.

The Appellants did not contest that the engine was oversized. They argued that the engine had been supplied by a third party and that the infraction may have been due to an error on the part of that supplier, or to expansion due to overheating, or to general wear and tear on the engine.

The Appellants further argued that they are a very low budget team incapable of bearing suspensions and a fine of this magnitude.

The NASCAR representative argued that NASCAR has and continues to consider an oversized engine to be one of the most egregious of rules violations, warranting the harshest of penalties. The last penalty notices issued in NASCAR’s top series for an oversized engine were in 1991 and included 12-race suspensions in the series and a sizeable fine for its day.

The Rule Book provides 8 cubic inches of flexibility in engine construction from a minimum of 350.000 cubic inch displacement to a maximum of 358.000 cubic inch displacement. Measurements on the engine in question calculated to a total cubic inch displacement of 358.197. According to the NASCAR representative, even the largest amongst the many, many engines inspected over the years usually allowed ample buffer below the 358.000 c.i.d. line.

The Commission reaffirms that the race team is ultimately responsible for all components on the race car, including any supplied by third-party vendors.

The Commission notes that during the hearing, the driver expressed a strong love of racing and a desire to compete at the highest levels of the sport. His testimony came across as genuine and heartfelt.

While it is tempting to consider penalties that this driver and team can more-readily bear, the sport would not be well served by having a sliding scale of penalties calibrated to a given team or member’s resources. Penalties of this magnitude for this type of infraction are warranted in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Upon reviewing all the testimony, the National Stock Car Racing Commission has decided to amend the penalties as follows:

-in each of the three Penalty Notices, the statement that reads “Suspended from NASCAR until August 18, 2009” shall be rescinded.

-all other elements of the penalties (points, suspensions from next 12 NSCS events, fine and probations) remain in force.

-the periods of suspension shall be adjusted from the date of this hearing.

The Appellants have the right under Section 15 of the Rule Book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Commissioner.

John Capels

Jack Housby

George Silbermann, Chairman

Those of us at OSG HQ have really only one word for this: "Holycrap!!!"

Long Appeals NASCAR Fine, Will Race At Charlotte

((HT: WRALsportsfan.com))

Carl Long's best Cup Series finish came at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 2001 and he got married at the track's luxurious Speedway Club two years later.

"This place has been pretty good to me," Long said Thursday. "I sure hope my career doesn't end here."

It could.

Long was suspended 12 races, docked 200 points and essentially fined $200,000 for having an illegal engine at Lowe's last weekend. All were record penalties for the sport.

Long appealed the punishment Thursday, hoping the National Stock Car Racing Commission will reduce the figures at a June 2 hearing. NASCAR, meanwhile, deferred Long's suspension until the hearing, allowing him to return to his full-time job as a crew member for the No. 34 Chevrolet.

So the part-time driver was back at work Thursday, but still trying to comes to terms with a ruling that threatens to end the racing career of a guy who struggles to pay his bills every month.

"I'm still in shock," Long said. "I just hope the people in the hearing ... common sense has got to take place. Somewhere in the world, sometime, common sense has to come out. I can bash NASCAR and everybody around me, but let's exhaust every avenue there is to exhaust and then if we have to go out and have a parade about it, we will."

Long, who made 23 races between 2000 and 2006, said he bought the engine from a "reputable builder" who fields motors for several Cup teams and said all the paperwork showed it was within NASCAR specifications. It malfunctioned during practice for the All-Star race Friday, prompting the team to change engines.

Under NASCAR rules, any engine removed from a car is subject to inspection. The owner, though, has the option of turning the engine over to NASCAR or loading up his car and leaving the track. So had Long even suspected the engine would fail NASCAR's exam, he said he would have left the speedway.

Instead, he turned the engine over without hesitation.

He failed to qualify for the All-Star race with a backup motor, and then learned Wednesday how costly the entire trip turned out to be.

NASCAR measured the engine at 358.17 cubic inches, .17 more than legal limit. Long was suspended 12 races and docked 200 points - 200 more than he has this season. His crew chief, Charles Swing, was fined $200,000, $50,000 more than the previous record. And team owner DeeDee Long, Carl's wife, also was suspended 12 races and docked 200 owner points. All three of them were placed on probation until Dec. 31.

"If you talk to any of the race teams in the garage, they'll be real quick to tell you you don't mess with engines, tires and fuel," Cup Series director John Darby said. "We've all heard that for years and years and years."

Darby said NASCAR hasn't dealt with an oversized engine since car owner Junior Johnson and crew chief Tim Brewer were suspended 12 weeks for violations at Charlotte in 1991. Their suspensions was reduced to four weeks on appeal.

Long would like the same leniency.

He also would like to see Swing's fine reduce, because if a crew chief doesn't pay a fine, it falls to the car owner. And in this case, that's the Longs.

"I can never pay it," Long said. "It won't ever happen. I'll cease to have a NASCAR license. ... All my life, everything I've done has all been to race, and I've really wanted to set NASCAR records - not this one."

Word of the penalties quickly spread through the garage Thursday, and although several drivers said it would be a disastrous penalty for Long, they added that it was no surprise NASCAR came down so hard on the low-budget, little-sponsored team.

"It's unfortunate for Carl because he probably had someone throw a motor together for him to get to the race track," Martin Truex Jr. said. "That's unfortunate. But you want to come Cup racing and you don't obey the rules, they're gonna get you.

"When's the last time you heard of someone having a big motor? That's 1970s kind of stuff. That's Junior Johnson. That's old stuff. People know better than to mess with that right now."

Jeff Burton agreed.

"We have seen over the years an escalation in penalties, an escalation in money, and big engines are something that NASCAR seems to have no tolerance for," he said. "That's a really, really big penalty, especially for Carl and the financial situation they're in. If you never make people regret doing the wrong thing, they'll never do the right thing, so I'm in favor of big penalties because I think it makes it where people don't want to mess around."

But Long questioned whether the penalty would be the same if it involved one of NASCAR's stars.

"I don't know how they come up with that stuff," he said. "I think if you told Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. he had to stay home for 12 weeks, the fans would be a little short and start rioting."

All this story does is give us an excuse to show you what more people remember Long for at Rockingham in 2004
((HT: NASCAR on FOX))