Controversy as Biffle questions Hendrick tests By Mike Harris, The Associated Press November 5, 2005 05:50 PM EST (22:50 GMT)
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Greg Biffle set off a controversy Saturday, accusing Hendrick Motorsports of some shady business in testing.
Biffle is third in the season points, chasing Tony Stewart and Hendrick's Jimmie Johnson heading into Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. He said Johnson got around NASCAR's rules, which limit each team entry to seven private tests during the season. Biffle said Johnson tested a car with the No. 25 of teammate Brian Vickers displayed on it at a recent test at Phoenix, where the series heads next week. "Johnson was driving the 25 car,'' Biffle said. "Does he race the 25 car? Why was he driving the 25 car?'' Johnson shrugged off Biffle's comments. "We went out and did a test and everything was cleared with NASCAR and fine,'' Johnson said. "I was there filling in for the No. 25 team.'' Biffle didn't think it was fair. "I think what it is is a lack of people wanting to police it,'' Biffle said. "I watched (Johnson's crew chief) Chad Knaus on TV brag about (how) they saved all their tests for the Chase. It's not his test.'' Biffle said his own Roush Racing entry abided by the rules. "The 16 team tested as many times as NASCAR allowed us to test in the rule book,'' he said. "Under the conditions, the way we read the rules, we tested all of our tests and Phoenix was our last test.'' Biffle insisted none of Roush's five Cup entries, all of them in the 10-man Chase for the championship, "phonied a number and changed the driver and got a different crew chief so that we could beat the rule to go test somewhere. "All of our teams are out of tests. Could we go to Homestead and test the (No.) 71 car and then enter (Roush truck series driver) Todd Kluever in the thing? Yeah, but we're not going to play that game.'' Johnson didn't like the way Biffle aired his displeasure. "I find it interesting someone chooses to use the media to file a complaint instead of going into the truck and talking to NASCAR,'' Johnson said. "So, with that in mind, I think he's barking up the wrong tree and, if he has a problem, go to NASCAR and let them take care of it.'' NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said the Hendrick team did not break a rule, although it might have violated the spirit of the rule. He said NASCAR is working on a revamped testing policy that it hopes to be able to announce by the end of the year or early in 2006. "We're addressing that (situation) in our new testing policy,'' Hunter added. "We just don't know where we're going to land with that, yet. In the past, we've tried to take into account the possibility of a driver being sick or injured or having a sponsor obligation, so we wanted to give them latitude to put another driver in the car. "We're trying to address all the issues so, when we announce a new test policy, we can eliminate some of the loopholes and gray areas we've had in the past. But these teams are pretty shrewd and they'll find a way to make it work to their advantage within the rules.''
Once again, cheating has been mentioned and the #48 team is in the mix. Coincidence? I think not.
---I do however, find it pretty humorous that Biffle (A member of the 5-car team of Roush) is the one complaining about Hendrick drivers using their teamates tests. (Childress and Roush and Hendrick are all known for sharing their info with each other on test sessions.)
Add DEI and Yates to sharing. I think the only multi car team not sharing is the 2 & 12. Speaking of the 12 let me say , as a supporter of the 12, what a bone head move he made on the 41 today. He needs to pull his head out sometimes.
Jr and Truex yeh...................but i get the sense that Waltrip and June Bug would not share anything with the other one and that was one of the main problems with those two being on the same team.
