Gordon, Johnson docked 100 points for violations (cont'd)

In initial inspection Friday, NASCAR officials discovered a 10-inch piece of front fender on each of the Hendrick cars had been modified illegally.

Gordon and Johnson started the Toyota/Save Mart 350 41st and 42nd on the grid, respectively. Gordon rallied to finish seventh; Johnson forged his way forward before dropping back to 17th.

'Gray' matter

Team owner Rick Hendrick said Chad Knaus (above) and Steve Letarte and their teams did not bend any specific rules at Sonoma in large part because COT violations remain unclear as currently defined.

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The infractions mark the second major COT violation in the past three races involving the new car. The No. 8 Chevrolet team was penalized after officials at Darlington discovered rear-wing brackets had been mounted illegally.

The punishment levied by NASCAR against the two Hendrick teams is consistent with the penalties it handed down against the 8 team. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was docked 100 championship points and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. was suspended for six races. Eury will serve the last of his suspension this week at New Hampshire.

NASCAR has been busy this season fining and suspending some of its top teams. The teams of Michael Waltrip, Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler and Kenseth were penalized for violations in preparation for the Daytona 500.

Waltrip received the worst of the punishment, as crew chief David Hyder, who is no longer with the team, and competition director Bobby Kennedy receiving indefinite suspensions.

Robbie Reiser, crew chief for Kenseth, and Kenny Francis, team director for Kahne, were each suspended for four races while the team directors of Sadler and teammate Scott Riggs received two-race suspensions.

It will mark the second consecutive year Johnson will race without Knaus atop his pit box. Knaus was suspended for the first four races of 2006 when the 48 failed post-qualifying inspection for the Daytona 500. Knaus, who had been under NASCAR scrutiny before, was ejected from Speedweeks.

Undeterred, Johnson won the Daytona 500 and two of the four races without Knaus. He finished second and sixth in the other two races and went on to win his first Nextel Cup championship.

Kenseth won his only race this year, at Fontana, without Reiser. It stood as the only non-Chevy win of the season until Carl Edwards won two weeks ago at Michigan and Juan Montoya got Dodge its first victory last week at Sonoma.