NASCAR penalizes Matt Kenseth over engine - NASCAR News | FOX Sports on MSN Kenseths race-winning car from last weekends race at Kansas Speedway was found to be in violation of the rule concerning weight of the connecting rod: Only magnetic steel connecting rods with a minimum weight of 525.0 grams will be permitted; connecting rod failed to meet the minimum connecting rod weight) of the 2013 rule book. Kenseth and Gibbs each lost points and Ratcliff was suspended for six points races. Gibbs' owner's license for the team was also suspended for six points races. The team has said it will appeal.
it's slightly more than 0.5% under weight. For a reciprocating part,... that's significant. Definitely intentional.
one would think,... but it may be able to be balanced out at the crankshaft??? but it would take more weight their to correct... but it's closer to center line... is there an advantage??? Makes my head spin at 9000rpm thinking about it. I'll go with my instinct... nothing at this level is an accident.
Toyota's explanation: Matt Kenseth penalty: Toyota takes blame for engine part that led to big penalties for Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing - NASCAR - Sporting News DRG Jerry
"Baghdad Bob" anyone?..... Paul Hembery (of Pirelli) over in F1 was recently called the same BTW. However, I think I'll go with his "we ****ed up" story - Accidental IMO. Cheers, Ian
Considering that JGR buys the engines built, if it's true that they didn't open it up, then it's overkill. Dyno the engine- see if there was a hp advantage (there won't be.)
Yeah... this isn't F1. 2.7 grams doesn't mean a damn thing in NASCAR. I understand that they want to make sure no one breaks the rules but I think that penalty is overkill. I think that if they look at intent the penalty will be reduced. GT
A whole other can o' worms here..... I'm not even sure that # would be significant in an F1 motor...... If they were all a few grams light, then sure, they're cheating. But it seems one slipped thru their QC - no 'intent' as you say. A 525g con rod! In a 'medium' speed (~9k RPM?) V8 motor!..... Holey-moley!.... I'm pretty sure F1 rods are less than half that, and rev twice as high! Talk about 'agricultural' engineering! Seriously, OTOH, 'thems the rules' and we know they'll all, be it F1 or NASCAR, push the limits. It's their job.... Sauber (?) was excluded from a race last year for a rear wing that was a tad (non beneficial) out of spec. Michaels (lack of) plank still irks Matchett. Some still claim Ferraris barge boards were illegal. On it goes. Where do the rules makers draw the line becomes the question I guess? Then there's the 'penalty' debate..... Exclusion from that race may be 'sensible', but a six race ban for the crew chief! Seems a little harsh. Unless they needed 'reigning in' for some reason, and this is simply how they got him?..... Cheers, Ian
I'm surprised the engine builder doesn't weigh the rods before assembly ... I guess they are usually spot on ... but once assembled it is your engine. Pete
Talk about taking the air out of all their races lately. It seems every NASCAR race weekend results with high handed penalties and ever increasing fines for the winning teams. So, as has been pointed out time and again, what is the point in winning a NASCAR race? It goes to a bigger picture as with each and every new spec car NASCAR forces on their competitors, the more the teams push back with ever increasing vitriol. The closed door meetings between NASCAR and the teams must be hugely entertaining spectacles. If NASCAR can't control a race result from a locked booth high above the track, they'll certainly control the championship by using arbitrary docking of points and nonsense rules made up on the spot. Let's see, who's on top of the points now? BHW
Given the history of quality control for JGR and engines, I wouldn't want to bet. Mis-installed valve springs, the list of what they've done wrong in the past few years is mind boggling for a CUP team that also wins races. They have good drivers, and build fast cars, but quality control and reliability is NOT their game.
For anyone that doesn't see the wink at the end of your sentence, a little tid bit to add to the equation. A NASCAR V8 has a stroke of about 82.55MM. A F1 engine is about 39.7MM. The NASCAR piston must move more than twice the distance in the same amount of time as the F1 engine at a given RPM. That is a LOT more force on the rod!
No argument from me there. However, I think the the key component is "at a given RPM".... Double the revs, and the forces also increase, a LOT..... [Squared?] Cheers, Ian
Hmmm.... Haven't checked yet, but I just saw a TV scroll that said *exactly* that! - All 8 were a "teensy-weensy" bit under weight! *If* true, they should be excluded from the entire series IMO. That's not a mistake, that's cheating pure & simple IMO. Not for the frst time either it seems have these guys *knowingly* tried to cheat; - WRC wastegate cost 'em a season. (Toyota) - Honda's "double fuel tank". - And now underweight rods? [As noted, I'll forgive 'em one, but all eight?] Oh dear. Cheers, Ian
+1 I'm certainly not sure as yet - The scroll on the bottom of the ESPN screen in a bar isn't the WSJ after all, but "the plot thickens" it seems....... Cheers, Ian
I'm reading some more news on NASCAR.com and a few other sources and so far I haven't seen anything that talks about all 8 being light. You'd think that would have come out right away. We'll see. GT
If it's just one rod, then fire the guy at the engine shop for being sloppy. I just did the math, and all 8 being light is a pretty derpy thing to try and get away with...and that's probably what they did, given the severity of the penalty.
OK, lesson learnt here; "never trust what another chap in a bar claims to have read on the scroll!"..... I didn't actually see it, but was told it was so. Certainly no other reports have surfaced, so I'll have to go kick his ass later. Anyway, poking around, *man* have they ever thrown the book at 'em; The feeling among my Nascar following (and seemingly illiterate ) buddies is that "they've" been looking to clobber Toyota for a while. Speculation that Penske & a couple of others have been whining about 'em "pushing the rules" too far and this was proverbial straw & broken camel. Cheers, Ian NASCAR lowers boom on Matt Kenseth for engine part - ESPN
I don't keep up on Nascar... but I was pretty sure they ran some sort of V8 in them... As quoted from TRD President Lee White: "No one is going to use heavy components, but no one is intentionally going to make con rods light, particularly one out of seven. I guarantee you there is no performance gain because of this oversight." Seems like maybe there should be 8 con rods... Also, maybe the internal confusion at TRD comes from statements like this: "White compared the 2.7 grams to two small paper clips. He said TRD tells the vendor not to ship any connecting rods that dont weight under 527 grams. He said the rods for all engines for the next few races have been weighed and anything remotely close has been removed. " The way I read that, they tell the vendor: don't ship me anything that weighs more than 527 grams.
