NASCAR Penalizes Ryan Newman For Doctoring Tires

Photo © Daniel Shirey/Getty Images.

NASCAR has announced that they are penalizing Ryan Newman and his team for doctoring their tires during the March 22 Auto Club Speedway race. The racing giant has recently been cracking down after allegations that drivers bleed air from their tires.

By puncturing a hole and allowing a little bit of air out, worn out tires are given better grip. Essentially, this would give an edge, as older tires handle better, while also increasing their overall durability. As a result, NASCAR has been randomly choosing drivers to investigate after each race.

And after the Auto Club Speedway, they inspected tires from Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Paul Menard. After determining a problem, they sent all to a third party source, who confirmed Newman’s doctored tires, according to ESPN.

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As a result, Newman was docked 75 points — sending him from sixth to 26th in the standings — crew chief Luke Lambert was suspended for six races along with mechanic Philip Surgen and tire technician James Bender and the team was also fined $125,000.

At the moment, owner of the car Richard Childress Racing (RCR) has not decided whether they will appeal. “We understand the seriousness of the penalty,” RCR President Torrey Galida stated. “In fact, RCR has been one of the most outspoken opponents against ‘tire bleeding’ since the rumors began to surface last season… Once NASCAR provides us with the specific details of the infraction, we will conduct a further internal investigation and evaluate our options for an appeal.”

While Newman’s chances of competing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup has decreased, he could still get an automatic bid by winning a Sprint Cup race.