Notes: Busch, Sauter fail post-race height inspection

LOUDON, N.H. -- The cars of drivers Kyle Busch and Johnny Sauter failed post-race height inspection following completion of the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 on Sunday at New Hampshire International Speedway.

But before anyone goes too crazy over the news of the infractions, spokesman Ramsey Poston of NASCAR cautioned that the failures of the two cars did not appear to be nearly as serious as the ones earlier this season that led to large fines, 100-point driver and owner penalties and up to six-race suspensions for teams for messing with the template of the Car of Tomorrow.

Lap-by-Lap

Denny Hamlin went in for two tires on Lap 256, took the lead on Lap 257 and held on to win the Lenox Industrial Tools 300.

• Complete story, click here
• Race Video, click here

"Both cars were too low in the left front," Poston said. "But we don't consider this tampering with the integrity of the Car of Tomorrow. It's not that kind of an infraction. It's more of what we would call a competition infraction."

Poston said that points penalties and fines could be forthcoming for the No. 5 team of Busch and the No. 70 team of Sauter, likely to be announced Tuesday. But he added that their finishes in Sunday's race -- 11th for Busch and 14th for Sauter -- would stand.

Slugging it out

Richard "Slugger" Labbe, crew chief for the No. 14 Dodge of driver Sterling Marlin, said he felt badly for fellow crew chiefs Steve Letarte, Chad Knaus and Tony Eury Jr., who were serving suspensions and were cut off from their respective teams during Sunday's race.

"Stevie, and Chad and Tony Jr., they're all out there in the motor-home lot," Labbe said before Sunday's race. "I went out and had a couple beers with them the other night. It's tough, though, when everyone comes into the garage at 7 a.m. and you can't come. It's like being a little kid and trying to reach up to the top of the refrigerator to get a cookie out of the cookie jar. I'm telling you, it's tough, man."

Labbe should know. He served a four-race suspension for rules violations last year and said it was one of the most difficult months of his life.

"These guys don't know how tough it is until it happens to them," Labbe said. "Then they'll understand. It's part of your life. It's in your blood, and then all of a sudden you don't get to do it. I guess it's like an alcoholic or a drug addict. If you don't have your fix, you go crazy. That's what it is with racing, with all these people in the garage. We do it because we love it." (Continued)