| When an organization run or owned by someone of | | | | tainting the accomplishments of Kyle Busch in the |
| Joe Gibbs's standing takes a hit, the man at the top | | | | eyes of some. |
| is held accountable, whether he initiated the scandal | | | | Teenage sensation Joey Logano drives the No. 18 |
| or even knew about it. For Joe Gibbs Racing, that | | | | Toyota in the series. The No. 20 car is driven by |
| means Mr. Clean himself, whose character was never | | | | Tony Stewart. Stewart finished third in the race, |
| questioned during a storied coaching career in the | | | | Logano seventh. Both drivers have been docked 150 |
| National Football League prior to becoming a team | | | | championship points and placed on probation until |
| owner in NASCAR. | | | | New Year's Eve. Both crew chiefs - Jason Ratcliff |
| Before post-race inspection following Michigan's | | | | and Dave Rogers - have been fined $50,000 and |
| Carfax 250, the No. 18 and No. 20 crews in the | | | | suspended indefinitely. In addition, both car chiefs, |
| Nationwide Series tried to keep inspectors from | | | | engine tuners, and another crew member are on |
| getting an accurate reading on the team's engines, a | | | | open-ended suspension. Mr. Gibbs has been penalized |
| serious breach of the rules. Both cars had | | | | 150 owner points for each of his entries. Logano is a |
| quarter-inch magnetic spacers placed under the gas | | | | part-time driver and Stewart is not scheduled to race |
| pedal to prevent full acceleration. The only reason for | | | | in the series any more this year, so neither faces |
| such a device is to influence the post-race | | | | long-term effects. |
| horsepower test. | | | | What prompted this attempt at deception? Drivers |
| has called it the most scandalous and barefaced | | | | of the 18 and 20 cars had won 14 of 25 Nationwide |
| incident in the history of NASCAR. Owner Richard | | | | races through Michigan in 2008. In July, NASCAR - in |
| Childress accused the Gibbs team of taking blatant | | | | a major redistribution of wealth - ordered JGR and |
| shortcuts and skirting the rules, as well as attempting | | | | other Toyota teams to cut power in their motors by |
| to outwit NASCAR inspectors, adding that severe | | | | about 15 units to even things up among competitors. |
| repercussions should result. Owner Jack Roush, no | | | | Allegedly, JGR crews refused to comply. |
| friend of Toyota, wondered aloud why anyone was | | | | Gibbs says he will not appeal the penalties and has |
| surprised when NASCAR was giving the presumed | | | | promised to add additional fines to anyone who is |
| innocent foreign manufacturer preferential engine | | | | found guilty. He also vowed to suspend the crew |
| treatment to begin with. | | | | members beyond what NASCAR has imposed. |
| Gibbs insists his drivers had no knowledge of the | | | | Ratcliff (No. 18 crew chief) has taken full responsibility |
| assumed cheating. J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR and | | | | for placing the magnets on Logano's car. Rogers (No. |
| son of Joe Gibbs, called the magnet caper a stupid | | | | 20) has offered contrition and accepted blame, |
| move, in so many words, but insisted that the | | | | though cynics refer to both as the organization's fall |
| magnets, called shims, had no bearing on the race | | | | guys. |
| itself, nor in any of the previous 14 his drivers have | | | | In all likelihood, this is not the conclusion of the |
| won on the second-tier circuit. | | | | matter. |
| Sprint Cup suspicions have grown since the episode, | | | | |