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May 02, 2007
Penalties handed down for contact
Kevin Harvick and Jamie McMurray were both fined $25,000 and put on probation until October 3, 2007 for...
what appeared to be intentional and unnecessary contact between the two cars after the caution froze the field on the white-flag lap of a green-white-checkered finish.
Yes, that's what the article said. I don't remember seeing or hearing anything about it, but according to NASCAR, it was "brought to their attention" when they were reviewing the tapes for the finishing order.
"It was brought to our attention then, and we reviewed the video again on Tuesday, as we normally do. We had discussions as a group and agreed that it warranted a penalty."
Neither driver was available for comment at the time of the article, but it sounds like they might address it Friday at Richmond.
McMurray, through a spokesperson, declined to talk about the incident until his scheduled stand-up session with the media Friday at Richmond International Raceway. Harvick could not be reached for comment.
Harvick likewise will be available Friday, but his public relations representative, Stacie Fandel, said both drivers were surprised by the severity of NASCAR's penalty. Fandel said McMurray's car, which was low on fuel, apparently sputtered on the final restart, causing contact with Harvick and Tony Stewart.
Unaware that McMurray was out of gas, Harvick reportedly retaliated by leaving a tire mark on McMurray's car as the incident escalated.
Granted, the end of the race and where everyone finished was confusing, but I don't remember seeing or hearing about this incident at all. You would think the way the TV coverage has been, they would have focused on something like this, but they didn't.
NASCAR may be making a big deal out of nothing here and I'd be interested in hearing what Harvick and McMurray have to say about it.
Anyone who taped the race see this?
Your thoughts?
May 2, 2007 in NASCAR | Permalink
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Comments
When I first read about this I thought, "This is a weird one." McMurray didn't even mention it in his post race interview and I think Harvick, never a shrinking violet, sure would have gone to McMurray if he had such a problem. I taped the race but I didn't see the incident Harvick and McMurray were fined for. Fox's coverage is so poor that it would be funny if it weren't so irritating. I mean come on! They insist on showing those boring "speed" shots from a camera stuck on the wall while there is a pass for the lead. I know the cars are going fast! That's why I watch! They also continually give us a shot of the flagman waving the checkers instead of the cars fighting for position while coming to the line. The race ain't over when the first car crosses the finish line! I am not picking on Fox, every network that shows Nascar these days does, in my opinion, a piss-poor job of showing us what is going on down on the track. My expectations are low and everytime I watch another race they get lower. The directors and producers are not race fans and don't even appear to be interested in the sport outside of their ability to make money ruining the races for the rest of us. I apologize for getting a bit off topic but the races, as presented on television, are as hard for me to put up with as an idiotic Mike Daly post.
Posted by: ron | May 2, 2007 4:51:15 PM
What's next? Reviewing pit road speeds on tape? I never realized that penalties could be retroactive. Nascar is digging itself a big hole and maybe giving more prudence to the comments made by Tony Stewart that evidently irritated Nascar. Oh sure, they couldn't penalize Tony for the remarks he made on his radio show, however, they did find a way (after the fact) to penalize him for not showing up for the press conference. Heck, they didn't want to hear what he would have had to say in that conference anyway
Posted by: Lynn Dozier | May 2, 2007 4:59:26 PM
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