NASCAR has once again brought the hammer down on a team for messing with the Car of Tomorrow.
This time it was Scott Riggs and Johnny Sauter whose crews got caught fiddling with the rear wing, trying to (gasp!) gain an advantage. And so the crew chiefs and car chiefs for Riggs and Sauter have been suspended for six races and fined $100,000 each, and Riggs and Sauter have each been docked 150 points.
To which I say this: Remember when auto racing was all about innovation?
No more. Innovation is out; absolute conformity is in. Both NASCAR and the IndyCar series -- which basically has just one chassis (Dallara) and one engine maker (Honda) -- are essentially spec series now, abandoning auto racing's traditional role as THE proving ground for automotive development in exchange for cost control.
Once upon a time, trying to improve your equipment was rewarded in this sport. Now it's punished.
Heck of an indictment. And a damn shame.
-- Ben Smith
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