At Daytona to start the NASCAR Sprint Cup season Jimmie Johnson’s #48
Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was found to have an illegal part on the car.
This really came as no surprise to me personally, because every time I hear of
an illegal part on a car in NASCAR I immediately think of that 48 team and
Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus. Why? Because Knaus is a major repeat offender
and when I say repeat, boy do I mean it.
The punishment handed down by NASCAR last week: a six race suspension for
Knaus and car chief Ron Malec, Johnson docked 25 driver’s points, the team
docked 25 owner’s points and Knaus receiving a $100,000 fine is the crew
chief’s ninth punishment from NASCAR for rules infractions in the last decade
and his fifth suspension. Hendrick Motorsports has appealed the punishment and
Knaus will be allowed to be Johnson’s crew chief until the appeal is heard.
After eight previous punishments, including four suspensions Knaus still
continues to push the line and do something that is considered to be cheating
in the sport. It’s very obvious that Knaus hasn’t learned his lesson from
NASCAR, so now I believe NASCAR should take their punishments to the next
level.
A six race suspension for Knaus along with a $100,000 fine and being
docked 25 driver’s and owner’s points is a fairly big punishment in the sport.
However, I think that NASCAR should have finally put their foot down with Knaus
and banned him for the entire season. I think that an entire season’s
banishment would finally get it through Knaus’ evidently concrete thick skull
that they mean business when it comes to cheating and using illegal parts in
the sport.
I’m sure down the line we’ll see Knaus punished once again for stepping
over the line, and maybe then NASCAR will finally take the punishment to the
next level. But, if I were in charge of the sport Knaus would be packing his
bags right now for a very long vacation.
