Bending the rules - often breaking them - is nothing new to those who want an advantage in stock car racing.
But it isn't paying dividends this week on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit.NASCAR handed out a fine for the third straight day, assessing Dick Brooks Racing crew chief Jeff Hammond $5,000 Sunday after discovering 18 pounds of loose lead weight inside the Pontiac driven by Greg Sacks in the Busch Clash.
Winston Cup cars must weigh at least 3,400 pounds, but that weight has to be distributed in a specified manner. All added weight that meets the regulations must be added in increments of at least five-pound blocks of lead, and those must be secured inside the framework of the car.
The loose lead was discovered by NASCAR officials after Sacks' Grand Prix was involved in a first-lap crash.
Hammond was also hit with an automatic indefinite probation, which subjects his team to special spot checks by NASCAR.
On Saturday, NASCAR barred Brett Bodine from first-round qualifying for next Sunday's Daytona 500 and levied a record $45,000 fine against car owner Junior Johnson after inspectors discovered an illegal engine piece that would have allowed faster speeds. Crew chief Mike Beam was fined $100 and put on indefinite probation.
NASCAR spokesman Kevin Triplett said a pre-qualifying check of Bodine's Ford Thunderbird found that the insert portion of the intake manifold was simply attached to the engine, not welded as required by the rules.
Later Saturday, Joe Nemechek was fined $5,000 for cutting a ridge in the air filter to illegally enhance air flow. His crew chief, Tony Furr, also drew a $100 fine and indefinite probation.
On Friday, car owner Bill Davis and his driver, Randy Lajoie, were fined a total of $35,000 after inspectors located an illegal hydraulic device that could speed up their car. Crew chief Chris Hussey was hit with a $100 fine and indefinite probation.
The largest NASCAR fine before Saturday was $40,000 against Jack Roush Racing in 1990 after Mark Martin's Ford was found to have an illegal spacer in the carburetor following a victory at Richmond. That indiscretion also cost Martin 46 Winston Cup points.
In 1983, a fine of $38,000 was assessed against Richard Petty when he was found to have an oversized engine in his car for an event he won at Charlotte, N.C. Like Martin's incident, the victory was allowed to stand. But Petty also lost 104 championship points.
The fines go into the $4 million Winston Cup points fund, which will be distributed to the top 20 drivers at the end of the year.