NASCAR gives Newman heavy penalty

NASCAR has imposed heavy sanctions upon the crew for Ryan Newman's #31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet after determining that it had manipulated his tires at Fontana earlier this month.

Series officials confiscated the tires of several teams following the March 22 race, and a subsequent inspection found Newman's crew to be in violation of rules that bar modifications to the tire or wheel, including the valve stem that is used to release pressure.

The infractions amounted to a P5 penalty – the second-most severe category of breach under NASCAR's six-tier system. Newman's crew chief Luke Lambert was fined $125,000 and suspended from the next six events, and placed on probation until the end of the year.

Tire technician James Bender and engineer Philip Surgen received the same suspension and probation period. In addition, Newman and Childress were docked 75 driver and owner points, respectively.

"NASCAR takes very seriously its responsibility to govern and regulate the rules of the sport in order to ensure competitive balance," said Steve O'Donnell, the series' executive vice president and chief racing development officer. "We've been very clear that any modifications to race vehicle tires is an unacceptable practice and will not be tolerated."

RCR President Torrey Galida said the team had not yet decided whether to appeal.

"We understand the seriousness of the penalty. In fact, RCR has been one of the most outspoken opponents against 'tire bleeding' since the rumors began to surface last season," Galida said in a statement. "Once NASCAR provides us with the specific details of the infraction we will conduct a further internal investigation, and evaluate our options for an appeal."

Originally on Autosport.com