| | Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR penalized Jeremy Mayfield's
Winston Cup team for the second time in three days Thursday, fining
crew chief Peter Sospenzo for rules violations in Mayfield's
victory Sunday at California Speedway.
Sospenzo was fined $25,000 for the latest violation.
After Mayfield won the NAPA Auto Parts 500, the roof height of
his Ford Taurus was discovered to be under the 51-inch minimum. The
car was impounded and sent to North Carolina for inspection.
After the race, NASCAR spokeswoman Danielle Humphrey said,
"Jeremy jumped on the roof of the car during his celebration.
Everything else passed the inspection fine, but the roof was lower
than allowed when it was measured."
On Tuesday, NASCAR punished the Penske-Kranefuss team for using
illegal fuel April 16 in Talladega, Ala.
Sospenzo was suspended until June 6 and will miss three Winston
Cup races; Mayfield was stripped of 151 points, dropping him from
seventh to 14th in the standings; and Michael Kranefuss, who
operates the team co-owned by Roger Penske, was fined $50,000.
NASCAR discovered an improper additive -- an oxygen enhancer -- in
the fuel tank of Mayfield's car following a 14th-place finish at
Talladega Superspeedway.
All the Winston Cup cars used gasoline provided at the track by
Unocal. Kranefuss said the unapproved additive was put into the
car's gas tank by an unidentified crewman and called the action a
"grave error in judgment."
Sospenzo, who took over as Mayfield's crew chief early in the
1999 season, will not be allowed to work at any race until the June
11 event in Brooklyn, Mich. | |
ALSO SEE
Case of bad gas: Mayfield loses 151 Winston Cup points
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