Truex fine announced

DAVID POOLE

dpoole@charlotteobserver.com

Thursday, Jul. 10, 2008

As expected, Martin Truex Jr.’s chances to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup took a severe blow Tuesday when NASCAR fined his No. 1 Chevrolet team for a rules violation discovered during initial inspections last weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

Truex was fined 150 driver points after his car’s roof did not conform to NASCAR specifications. That drops Truex Jr. from 14th to 18th in the standings and leaves him 238 points out of the top 12. The top 12 drivers after 26 races qualify for the 10-race Chase.

Car owner Teresa Earnhardt of Dale Earnhardt Inc. also was fined 150 points by NASCAR.

Crew chief Kevin Manion was fined $100,000. Manion and car chief Gary Putnam were both suspended for the next six Sprint Cup races, meaning they cannot return to the track until a race at Auto Club Speedway in California on Aug. 31. Both also are on probation until Aug. 27.

On Thursday, before opening practice for the Coke Zero 400, NASCAR impounded the primary car DEI built for Truex to run in the race Saturday night. Truex was allowed to use his backup car. He started 35th and finished 17th.

Truex made last year’s Chase, finishing 11th in the final standings, after scoring his first career Cup victory at Dover. That’s his only career victory so far in 99 career Cup starts.

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