Rudd, crewman among those fined after RIR

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- On Tuesday, NASCAR issued fines and probations and took championship points from one Winston Cup Series driver and team for incidents last weekend at Richmond International Raceway.

	Ricky Rudd Credit: Autostock

Winston Cup driver Ricky Rudd and Robert Yates Racing crewman Larry Lackey were fined a total of $15,000 and placed on probation through Dec. 31, 2002 for their roles in a garage area scuffle.

While a team spokesman Saturday night said the fight was an "internal team issue," NASCAR fined Rudd $5,000 and engine tuner Lackey $10,000 for the incident following the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 that left Rudd with a black eye and Lackey a cut on his forehead requiring stitches.

NASCAR vice president for corporate communications Jim Hunter said despite what the team indicated, the sanctioning body had no choice but to step in.

"There has to be an aggressor in a fight and a retaliator and when we saw the footage (we saw that)," Hunter said. "We weren't told it required 12 stitches to sew the guy's forehead up. We can't condone that and we aren't going to let them hit each other in the pits or the garage."

Lackey and Rudd were penalized under Section 12-4-A in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series rule book: "Actions detrimental to stock car racing: Involved in an altercation with a team member." Lackey also was penalized under 12-4-F: "Fighting."

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Yates Racing spokesman Steve Post said the pair got into a discussion over comments Rudd had made before the race. Post was not available to update Yates' resolution of the incident following NASCAR's statement Tuesday, but Rudd was incensed.

"I just found out I am going to be fined and that's the most absurd thing I ever heard," Rudd said. "I believe it's NASCAR's job to keep the drivers safe and that guy just sucker-punched me. I didn't do anything wrong in this deal, that's all I'm going to say."

Rudd and Yates have already announced plans that will separate the pair for 2003. In his two previous seasons driving the No. 28 Havoline Ford, Rudd has finished in the top-five in points; but this season, troubled by uncertainty about his future, he is tied for eighth in the standings, 248 points behind leader Sterling Marlin.

Meanwhile, Winston Cup driver Jeff Green lost 25 driver points and his Richard Childress Racing crew chief Todd Berrier was fined $5,000 for using an unapproved left front spring to finish third in the No. 30 AOL Chevrolet.

	Jeff Green Credit: Autostock

Childress was also docked 25 car owner points, which left him and Green 17th in their respective standings, 17 points ahead of 18th place owner Joe Gibbs and his No. 18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac driver Bobby Labonte.

The coil winding of the spring was not evenly spaced, which Hunter said was visibly obvious and did not meet the standards set forth in the rulebook. Berrier was penalized under Section 12-4-Q: "Any determination by NASCAR Officials that parts and/or equipment used in the Event do not conform to NASCAR rules."

Another scuffle following a fiery accident in Friday night's Busch Series Funai 250 resulted in $3,000 in fines for two Lewis Motorsports crewmen.

Charlie Lewis, crew chief for the No. 46 Chevrolet driven by his brother, Ashton Lewis Jr., was fined $2,000 and crewman Scott Honan was fined $1,000 for violations of Sections 12-4-A and 9-4-A in the 2002 Busch Series rulebook: "Actions detrimental to stock car racing: Involved in an altercation in another competitor's pit area;" "The crew chief assumes the responsibility for the actions of his team members."

On the race track Ashton Lewis had tangled with former Busch Series point leader Jack Sprague's No. 24 Chevrolet on the 126th lap.

In Saturday night's Winston Cup race, a similar situation occurred when one of Terry Labonte's crewmen visited the Haas Carter Motorsports pits after Labonte and HCM driver Todd Bodine tangled.

While no fines were issued in that case, the offending crewman was removed to the NASCAR office trailer for the balance of the race after the accident, which happened on lap 16.