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AUTO RACING

Gordon, Johnson Expecting Harsh Penalties From NASCAR

Published: Jun 25, 2007

SONOMA, CALIF. - NASCAR is determined to take any guesswork out of its new Car of Tomorrow.

With a new system of templates and sensors to measure the parameters of the taller, wider and reputedly safer car, NASCAR chairman Brian France said the sanctioning organization wants to leave no doubts that it will come down hard on infractions.

"We have to lay down the law," France said Sunday at Infineon Raceway, where the Nextel Cup cars raced in the Toyota/Save Mart 350.

That doesn't bode well for the teams of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, who were parked for Friday's practice and qualifying after NASCAR inspectors found front fenders on their COT Chevrolets had been illegally modified.

The two Hendrick Motorsports drivers were allowed to practice Saturday and race Sunday, starting from the rear of the field, but it is expected that NASCAR will follow up in the next few days with more severe penalties, possibly including the loss of drivers and owner points, six-figure fines and suspensions for the crew chiefs.

Asked if NASCAR is taking all the creativity away from the teams, France said, "There will always be room for imagination and ingenuity in the sport. But we don't want this thing to revolve around technology. It's important to keep it in the hands of the drivers."

FUEL FAILURE: Robby Gordon started second and led a race-high 48 laps, including the first 34 on the 1.99-mile, 12-turn circuit. But he wound up 16th after his team's fuel strategy let him down late in the race.

"It's pretty disappointing that fuel strategy makes that big of a difference," Gordon said. "It's disappointing that we had a car as fast as we had, started on the front row and not just get beat but finish 16th.

"We need to figure out why we're getting a quarter of a gallon less fuel mileage than the other guys."

KEY RECEIVER: NFL Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice was feeling the pressure Sunday morning.

Named the grand marshal for the NASCAR race, Rice, who caught so many clutch passes in tight situations during his football career, was nervous about delivering the traditional "Gentlemen, start your engines" line.

"I'm truly just looking forward to the race right now and saying those four famous words," Rice said. "I have brought out so many coaches to work with me, I don't want to blow this. I have so many guys depending on me.

"We've been going over this and I better get it right [Sunday]. The pressure is on me. It feels like the Super Bowl."

SPARKPLUGS: Juan Pablo Montoya is the third foreign-born driver to win a race in NASCAR's top series. The Colombian driver joined Italian-born Mario Andretti, who won the 1967 Daytona 500, and Earl Ross of Canada, who won on the short oval at Martinsville in 1974. ... Montoya also joins Andretti and Dan Gurney as the only drivers who have won races in NASCAR, Formula One and American open-wheel racing.A crowd estimated at more than 100,000 turned out Sunday, a clear, breezy day with temperatures reaching into the mid-80s. ... The only other foreign-born drivers in the field were Ron Fellows from Canada, Marc Goossens from Belgium.

The Associated Press