Joe Lax, crew chief for Jeremy Mayfield's #36 Toyota, is expecting a significant penalty after his team got caught putting illegal weight in the car. In pre-qualifying inspection Friday at California Speedway, Mayfield's Bill Davis Racing car was found to have too much camber in the rear end. The team fixed the problem, which requires taking a blowtorch to the rear of the car, and went back through the inspection line, but the car was found to be too light on the right side. Then, in a moment of desperation, a team member stuck a piece of lead inside the water bottle to add the extra weight. But NASCAR discovered the illegal trick, which is considered tampering with the car.
Shouldn't they be disqualified from the field for this? If that's the case, Scott Riggs team should be happy since I believe they would make the race.
Remember they let the Hendrick guys change their fenders back and Harvick a few years back after the capped fuel tank. There is no precedent for sending Mayfield home.
