Like a bad dream getting worse for NASCAR officials and fans after the severest penalty in NASCAR racing for the points fixing tactics of Michael Waltrip Racing it will investigate radio communications between Joey Logano’s and David Gilliland’s team.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship comes down to a playoff among the top-10 in points and two wild cards for drivers with wins finishing 11-20 in the points. For the moment NASCAR is mum issuing the following statement “NASCAR is aware of reports about the #22 and #38 radio communications at Richmond International Raceway and is looking into it, but has yet to see anything in full context that requires any action.” Before the incident where MWR’s Clint Bowyer spun with seven laps to go, bringing out a caution which like resulted in robbing Ryan Newman of a convincing win, there was a radio transmission from Gilliland’s team to their driver.
Logano, in his first year with Penske Racing, was likely locked into NASCAR’s Chase because his track position would indicate a finish in the top-ten in points. According to reports he may have needed one more position for “insurance.” Radio transmission, played on numerous networks on Wednesday, from Gilliland’s No. 38 team seems to indicate the voice of their crew chief, Frank Kerr, telling the spotter to tell Logano's spotter that the track position "better pay big." "The committee knows what I've been asking for," Kerr says. "We've got the big dog and all his cronies," the spotter replies. "Travis (Geisler, Penske’s competition director) knows what I've been asking for.” Gilliland kept asking where Logano was and if anyone else was fighting him for 22nd place. Then Bowyer spun bringing out the caution and Logano easily motored away from Gilliland on the restart and locked himself into the Chase. "Good job, good job, man," the spotter says. "Hopefully we'll get something out of that." On Wednesday evening Tim Cindric, president of Penske Racing was interviewed on SiriusXM Radio to refute the charges. "I know that NASCAR is gathering the facts about the whole situation and that's their job, that's what they have to do,” Cindric said. “But the facts from where I sit are, number one, there was no conspiracy, there was no bribe. Roger Penske is not involved in trying to manipulate the outcome of a race or what have you. In fact, the first time Roger heard any of this stuff was this afternoon (Wednesday).” On Thursday morning NASCAR issued another statement that it “is continuing to gather all the facts from last Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway. NASCAR will have no further comment until all the facts have been examined.”
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