Bending the rules and reading between the lines of the rulebook isn’t new to NASCAR. The sport was built on the very idea of defiance and has continued to stay true to that color over these 75 years. But in a strange turn of events back in 2010, the iconic businessman and team owner Jack Roush decided to step over the lines a tad bit longer than the norm.
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The DRIVE4COPD was a Nationwide Series race that served as the opener to the 2010 season. Paul Menard had just joined Roush Fenway Racing to drive the #98 full-time car and was hoping to have a better season than the winless one that he had in 2009 under the banner of Yates Racing. Unfortunately for him, the day of qualifying was marred by cold rain and he looked set to draw 49th in the qualifying draw. This meant an automatic DNQ.
Unable to find answers, Menard searched high and low when his car’s owner Mr. Roush entered the scene with his wallet in hand. The team owner used a huge sum of $225,000 to buy off 5 teams on the grid who were ahead of Menard and they, in turn, let the driver take up the 43rd spot which made NASCAR’s cut to run the main race.
In this display of money, Mr. Roush paid off the teams with promises of engineering support, equipment, or just a check. Brian Keselowski, one of the drivers who withdrew after the intervention said of his decision to give way, “I needed some money; with the 10% pay cut on the races, it’s looking pretty bleak to try to survive.”
Keselowski acknowledged that he could have refused the offer but did not find any incentive to do so. Not wanting to make an enemy out of an influential person like Mr Roush, he had to agree just like the other 4 teams did.
Shocking cheating scandals involving some of NASCAR’s biggest names
The 2007 Daytona 500 saw Michael Waltrip attract a fine of $100,000 after inspectors found an illegal additive in the fuel that was used in his car. Though the driver had denied any knowledge about it, the scandal came to be known as ‘Jet Fuel’ and sent strong tremors around motorsports
Another incident that highlighted the worst of NASCAR was the 2013 “Spingate”. The race at Richmond that year was the final one before the chase began and Clint Bowyer’s teammate Martin Truex Jr. was yet to qualify for it. Though Bowyer himself wasn’t in contention, he mysteriously spun out during the race and knocked several cars out of contention.
After reviewing the crash footage, NASCAR ruled that Bowyer had spun intentionally to give his teammate an advantage and fined his team, $300,000.
Despite the promotion’s best moves, teams and drivers keep trying to find a way to color between the lines to this day.
