After confiscating nine Nationwide cars earlier in the season and checking their horsepower, NASCAR discovered that some Toyotas had as much as three percent more horsepower than the other makes.

As a result, NASCAR issued a technical bulletin that amended section 20A — 5.10.4 as follows:

At all Events, unless otherwise specified, all engines with a cylinder bore spacing less than 4.470 inches must compete using a tapered spacer with four (4) 1.125-inch diameter holes. At all Events, unless otherwise specified, all engines with a cylinder bore spacing of 4.470 inches or more must compete using a tapered spacer with four (4) 1.100-inch diameter holes. Unless otherwise authorized, the carburetor restrictor will be issued by NASCAR.

After the Carfax 250, NASCAR found that Joe Gibbs Racing manipulated the throttle of its Toyotas so the tests would not be accurate.

NASCAR’s VP of competition, Robin Pemberton said:

In our post-race inspection, our inspectors discovered some shims that were placed on the gas-pedal stop. They were magnets that were about a quarter-inch thick that prevented the accelerator from going 100 percent wide open.

Today, NASCAR announced that seven JGR team members are suspended indefinitely — including crew chiefs Dave Rogers, of the No. 20, and Jason Ratcliff, of the No. 18.

Additional penalties are as follows:

• Tony Stewart and Joey Logano each will be penalized with a loss of 150 championship points and placed on probation until the end of the year. Joe Gibbs was also penalized 150 owner’s points for each of those entries.
• Ratcliff and Rogers were indefinitely suspended and fined $50,000 each.
• Dorien Thorsen, Michael Johnson, and Toby Bigelow, all of the No. 18, and Richard Bray, and Dan Bajek, of the No. 20, have been placed on indefinite suspension.

ESPN adds that JGR would not appeal the penalties and indicated it would also fine the crew members involved and suspend them through the end of the season. Joe Gibbs also made it clear that he had no knowledge of the cheating attempt.

The AP quotes Ratcliff as saying in response to the ammouncement:

I would like to apologize to the employees and partners of Joe Gibbs Racing. Because of poor decision making, I have failed you as the leader of this team and I am solely responsible for this situation. Secondly, I apologize to the men and women of NASCAR for my dishonesty and interference during a testing event.

Rogers said:

I accept the penalties imposed by NASCAR and Joe Gibbs Racing and make no excuses.

Racing One carried Toyota’s statement which said:

Toyota respects NASCAR’s rules and regulations and accepts the sanctions that were imposed against Joe Gibbs Racing. It is NASCAR’s responsibility to enforce their rules and we respect their decisions. Toyota always has, and will continue to, abide by all NASCAR-mandated policies.

Toyota also commended JGR for the way it handled the situation and quickly owned up to the penalties.

Also of note, NASCAR fined Donnie Wingo, crew chief of Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 41 Sprint Cup entry, driven by Reed Sorenson, $25,000 after the car was found to have an improperly attached weight in Sunday’s 3M Performance 400 race at Michigan.

SceneDaily, the Charlotte Observer, and the Sporting News also covered the story.

If you take someone with the talent of Jr. and combine him with a dominant team like Hendrick, it’s a recipe for success, right? So, what’s missing?

Some people seem to think Tony Eury Jr. is the weak link. As Jr. was leading the Centurion Boats at the Glen at Watkins Glen International, a track he rarely performs well at, Eury’s decision to keep him out cost the team big.

Eury Jr. is usually a play-it-safe kind of crew chief. Jr. nation often times gets frustrated at Eury’s decision to go for the good finish instead of going for the win. But, the one time Eury rolls the dice, fans still criticize him.

I’m sure that Eury knows that being the crew chief of NASCAR’s most popular driver is no easy task, and he makes his decisions based on the best interests of the team and his driver, not to appease the fans.

Some fans seem to forget that it was Eury’s strategy that got Jr. the win at Michigan International Raceway this year. They also don’t remember that it was Eury who used strategy to salvage a fourth-place finish after Jr. suffered damage to his Chevy at the Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington Raceway.

So, before fans start calling for Eury’s head, they should realize that he’s got one of the toughest jobs in NASCAR. And, thus far, he’s not doing too bad.

He’s managed to keep Jr. in the top 5 in points throughout the season, and he’s earned a win for his driver, all in his first season with a new team. Add in the fact that Hendrick has not been as dominant as it was last year, and you’ll see that Eury’s been a positive for the team.

Every driver goes through bad stretches and hits some bad luck. It’s the nature of the sport. (See Marcos Ambrose.) So, before you call for Eury Jr. to be replaced, compare Jr.’s stats this year to his stats last year.

I think most of Jr. Nation would be happier with Jr. being fourth in the standings with three races to go until the Chase, instead of 13th in the standings at the same point last year.

Top 5: Edwards, Busch, David Ragan, Greg Biffle, and Matt Kenseth.

Mark Martin, Brian Vickers, Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler, Jamie McMurray rounded out the top 10.

Notables: Jeff Burton (11th), Tony Stewart (12th), Travis Kvapil (13th), Jimmie Johnson (17th), Clint Bowyer (20th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (23rd), Kurt Busch (36th), Denny Hamlin (39th), Kasey Kahne (40th), Jeff Gordon (42nd).

According to SceneDaily, NASCAR checked Roush Fenway Racing’s Fords of Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle; Joe Gibbs Racing’s Toyotas of Tony Stewart and Joey Logano; Braun Racing’s Toyota of Brian Vickers; JR Motorsports’ Chevys of Brad Keselowski and Mark Martin; Richard Childress Racing’s Chevy of Clint Bowyer, Phoenix Racing’s Chevy of Mike Bliss; and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dodge of Dario Franchitti.

This test came following a Nationwide series rule change in which NASCAR changed the size of the spacer used to restrict airflow in the engines to limit horsepower.

SceneDaily is reporting that Joe Gibbs Racing will be penalized for attempting to manipulate the throttle so that the dyno testing results would not be accurate.

NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said:

What they did was not in effect during the race. They didn’t have an illegal part or engine during the race. They tried to do something involving a magnet so that we wouldn’t get a true reading on the dyno.

There will definitely be penalties coming.

For JGR’s part, spokesman Mike Arning said:

The parts and pieces that were on our cars [in the race] adhered to the rulebook. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

Danny Efland crashed on the white flag lap, ending the race and securing Carl Edwards’ victory.

Brian Vickers, finished second, Stewart finished third, and Mark Martin and Greg Biffle rounded out the top 5.

Mike Bliss, Joey Logano, Jason Leffler, Kelly Bires and Clint Bowyer finished sixth through 10 respectively.

Notables: Brad Keselowski (11th), Marcos Ambrose (12th), Dario Franchitti (13th), David Stremme (16th), Scott Wimmer (22nd), Kenny Wallace (30th), David Reutimann (34th), and David Ragan (36th). 

Clint Bowyer and David Reutimann were racing side-by-side in the top 5 when Bowyer drifted up and made contact with Reutimann. Reutimann gestured out the window at Bowyer. Shortly after the contact, Reutimann appeared to cut a tire and made hard contact with the wall. He finished 34th.

Bowyer suffered damage from the contact and began losing positions. He finished 10th.

Make no mistake about it, Jr. cannot enter this weekend’s race care-free. He’s got a lot of pressure on him right now to perform. Every year, Jr. has to come to the same stretch of tracks that he’s not a particular fan of: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway, and Watkins Glen International.

This not to say he hates these tracks. He just doesn’t run particularly well at them. Since 2004, Jr. only has thee top fives during this three-race stretch. He finished second at Pocono in 2007 and sixth at the Brickyard in 2006, and fifth at the Glen in 2004.  

He did lead some laps at Watkins Glen last weekend before pit strategy bit him, but overall, these are not his strongest tracks. He’s dropped from second in the standings to fourth.

As the series heads into Michigan, Jr. looks to rebound as he has in year’s passed. He’s won at three of the next four tracks and looks to work his way out of his slump. And, this weekend could be just what Jr. needs to gain some momentum heading into the Chase.

At this point, there are about 16 guys vying for 11 spots, so Jr. needs to get back to form, or he could risk starting the Chase with a huge deficit, or falling out of the Chase entirely.

Skinner will evaluate the team, suggesting ways to improve its on-track performance. Skinner will also drive the car in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, and the Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway (California).

Team owner Waltrip said:

Michael Waltrip Racing is fully committed to our sponsors, the success of our race teams and ensuring Michael McDowell, Josh Wise, David Reutimann and I have the necessary tools to succeed as drivers.

Waltrip hopes that Skinner will be able to provide similar insights that he used earlier in the season when he drove five races for Red Bull Racing in the No. 84 usually driven by AJ Allmendinger. Skinner’s presence helped the team improve.

The team hopes to get the contract signed this week so an announcement can be made this weekend at Michigan International Raceway.

Right now, rumor has it that Mears would move to the No. 07 Jack Daniels Chevy, and Clint Bowyer would move over to the No. 33 General Mills Chevy. The reason: General Mills was not comfortable with Mears driving under the Cherrios banner next season because his current sponsor primary sponsor is Kelloggs.

Coleman has been a test driver for the team since late last year.

P.J. Jones will be in the car at this weekend’s race at Watkins Glen International.

Other than a third place finish at the LENOX Industrial Tools 301, which was the result of staying out when the caution came out for rain at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Yeley has posted no finish better than 24th. He also missed the race at Infineon Raceway.

The team is currently 38th in owner’s points, 196 points behind 35th place, which means Jones and Coleman will have to qualify on time.