From ESPN: The crew chief for Jimmie Johnson has been suspended for six weeks and the team docked 25 points, leaving the five-time Sprint Cup champion in his deepest hole to start the season.
NASCAR handed down the penalty for Chad Knaus and the No. 48 team on Wednesday, two days after Johnson wrecked at the start of the second lap and finished 42nd in the Daytona 500.
Johnson is now last in the Sprint Cup standings, 70 points behind 500 winner Matt Kenseth.
Knaus also was fined $100,000 and car chief Ron Malec was suspended for six weeks. Both were placed on probation until May 9.
Hendrick Motorsports will appeal the penalties, allowing Knaus and Malec to remain with the team until that appeal is heard. Both will be at Phoenix this weekend.
"Our organization respects NASCAR and the way the sanctioning body governs out sport,'' owner Rick Hendrick said in a statement. "In this case, though, the system broke down and we will voice our concerns through the appeal process.''
Johnson, in a post to his Twitter page Wednesday, also pointed to the appeals process and thanked his fans for their support.
"We appreciate all of the support. Now it's up to the appeal process," he wrote.
The penalties are the result of what NASCAR officials considered illegal C-posts -- pillars that come down from the roof to the quarter panel -- to gain an aerodynamic advantage.
Officials confiscated the C-posts during the initial inspection process at Daytona International Speedway. Series director John Darby said the alterations were so obvious they could be seen by the naked eye.
http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/7630284/jimmie-johnson-loses-25-points-chad-knaus-suspended-nascar-6-races
JJ only got 2 points in the Daytona 500 and now has -23 points. He has to get 20th or better in Phoenix just to get back to 0 points. Even if he wins in Phoenix, he will only have about 28 points.
Knaus has been caught cheating several times before, so the punishment does fi the crime. Fortunately, the team is good enough that he will be able to make the chase.
The story over the winter was that that Chad Knaus needed another vacation, so I guess he will get one now.
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