Crew Chiefs Suspended, Drivers Docked Points In Daytona Cheating Scandal

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- NASCAR demonstrated Tuesday that<br/>it's serious about punishing cheaters. Four drivers likely will be without their crew chiefs when NASCAR kicks off its season with the

Wednesday, February 14th 2007, 9:41 am

By: News On 6

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- NASCAR demonstrated Tuesday that
it's serious about punishing cheaters. Four drivers likely will be without their crew chiefs when NASCAR kicks off its season with the Daytona 500 Sunday.

The crew chiefs for Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Scott Riggs and Elliott Sadler have been punished by NASCAR after their cars failed inspection following last weekend's action at Daytona.

Robbie Reiser and Kenny Francis were kicked out of the Speedway and suspended four races. Reiser heads up Kenseth's team, while Francis runs Kahne's crew.

Riggs crew chief Rodney Childers and Sadler pit boss Josh Brown were suspended two races. All four are set to miss Sunday's premier event but could be back on the job if they choose to appeal.

Reiser and Francis also were fined 50-thousand dollars each, while Childers and Brown were fined 25-grand apiece.

Michael Waltrip's startup Toyota Camry faces additional penalties that could be even more severe. NASCAR is continuing its investigation of Waltrip's car.