Chad Knaus will have plenty of time to sign autographs during the next month. Credit: Autostock

Knaus' penalty among most severe in history

Chad Knaus' suspension from on-track activities equals the longest stretch for a crew chief in NASCAR history, matched only by Todd Berrier's four-race suspension in 2005.

Berrier's punishment varied greatly from Knaus' in that he wasn't placed on probation, whereas Knaus is on probation for the remainder of the 2006 season.

LAYING DOWN THE LAW Crew chief Chad Knaus won't be allowed back to the track until Bristol, NASCAR said Tuesday, meaning he'll miss three more races. In addition, Knaus was fined $25,000.  •   Complete story,  click here Smith on KnausMarty Smith reacts to the penalty handed down to Chad Knaus Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Berrier was later suspended for an additional three races in 2005 after NASCAR found three illegal modifications to the car's rear end. After the second violation, NASCAR placed him on probation until the end of the season.

Both Knaus and Berrier were fined $25,000, but Berrier's violation resulted in a 25-point penalty. Knaus' team received no loss of points.

Knaus was suspended two races and fined $35,000 last year after Johnson's race-winning car failed to meet the minimum height requirement during post-race inspection at Las Vegas, but his suspension was overturned on appeal.

The fines still pale in comparison to the largest fine in NASCAR history, levied in 1995 against crew chief Ray Evernham, who was fined $60,000 after being caught with an unapproved suspension part on Jeff Gordon's Chevrolet.

In recent years, NASCAR has added additional punishments to those caught with illegal racecars. In 2003, NASCAR took the unprecedented step of impounding Tony Stewart's Chevrolet at Texas, which didn't meet template specifications.

NASCAR later used the impound punishment on at least two more occasions, including in 2005 when they impounded Brian Vickers' Chevrolet for a template infraction.

NASCAR did not impound Johnson's car after NASCAR discovered an illegal rear window modification after Daytona 500 qualifying last week. Johnson won the Daytona 500 using the same car after Johnson's team was allowed to fix the car to meet specifications.