Four Cup teams penalized for infractions at Texas

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR has issued penalties to the No. 13, No. 47, No. 00 and No. 56 teams that compete in the Cup Series as a result of rule violations committed at Texas Motor Speedway.

Robert "Bootie" Barker, crew chief of the No. 13 team, and Frank Kerr, crew chief of the No. 47 team, have each been fined $75,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 for violating Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 20-2.3A (unapproved added weight); 20-7 (all engine cooling system components must be approved by NASCAR prior to being used in competition); and 20-7.3A (radiator mount; failure to submit components) of the 2010 Sprint Cup Series rule book.

Car owners Robert Germain (No. 13) and Tad Geschickter (No. 47) have each been penalized with the loss of 50 championship owner points for violating Sections 12-1 and 20-2.3A. Drivers Max Papis (No. 13) and Marcos Ambrose (No. 47) have each been penalized with the loss of 50 championship driver points for violating Sections 12-1 and 20-2.3A.

Rodney Childers, crew chief of the No. 00 team, and Pat Tryson, crew chief of the No. 56 team, have each been fined $25,000 and placed on probation until Dec. 31 for violating Sections 12-1; 20-7; and 20-7.3A.

All of these violations occurred during post-qualifying inspection on April 16.

"NASCAR indicated we were running a part, a radiator pan, which had not been officially submitted for approval. We accept NASCAR's ruling and will not appeal because we cannot debate whether the part was submitted, only whether or not the part needed submission," Cal Wells, executive vice president of Michael Waltrip Racing, said in a statement. "This gives us a clear line of sight on how parts need to be submitted for approval. We will work diligently with NASCAR in the future on all new parts to ensure this does not happen to MWR again."

Geschickter called the penalty "excessive" but understands NASCAR's decision.

"While the penalty feels excessive for an apparent misunderstanding on submitting a part, we also understand NASCAR has to police the sport and rule strictly to keep a level playing field among the teams," Geschickter said in a statement. "We will work diligently to ensure that there are no misunderstandings in the future. We are focusing our energy on turning our season around and winning races with driver Marcos Ambrose."