Reinventing the wheel: Cheating in NASCAR and local racing
NASCAR is now investigating one of the racing world’s top drivers and his team on allegations that they let air out of his tires in an effort to enhance racing performance.
On Tuesday, the racing association docked Ryan Newman 75 crucial sprint cup points, fined his crew chief, and suspended three crew members.
The penalty dropped Newman from sixth to 26th in the standings. Investigators say deflating or “bleeding” tires increases traction and durability.
NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon says, “It’s very interesting to me that NASCAR is investigating this further. It’s definitely being done; it’s just not clear on how it’s being done.”
While deflating tires may not be an issue locally, 47 ABC spoke with a racing official Wednesday to learn about another form of cheating they have to keep their eye on locally.
Charles Cathell, GM and president of the Delaware International Speedway says, “Their whole program is far more advanced over what we do on a local level.”
Cathell says NASCAR operates on a much grander scale than their operation in Delmar, but that doesn’t mean they don’t see their fair share of cheaters.
Cathell explains that they haven’t seen issues with drivers deflating their tires, but they have to keep an eye on their compound. That’s the thickness of tire rubber. The speedway has strict rules for how soft a tire can be.
Cathell replies, “A softer compound would perform faster, but at the same token it deteriorates faster.”
A deteriorating tire can be very dangerous. Cathell says most times if a driver feels a tire getting flat, they can pull into a pit and get it fixed. However, if a tire blows on the track, the driver could end up causing a crash.
Racing officials tell us it’s hard to spot and often have to work off reports brought to them. Then they use a durometer to measure the hardness of the tire, and if there are still questions they take it one step further.
Cathell says, “If we suspect something’s wrong we’ll take a sample and send it off to North Carolina and have it analyzed.”
If the samples reveal that the tires are soft, the repercussions can range from penalties to suspension. Racing officials tell us the sport has a culture of quote, “cheating isn’t cheating until you get caught.”
However, at the Delaware International Speedway they plan to catch as many as they can to ensure a fair race.
Delaware International Speedway’s racing season starts with opening night on April 11th and we’re told the race is free for all spectators.
You can find more information on their events by clicking the race tab on our homepage.
