Save Carl Long - Sign the Petition & save Carl Long from the Unreasonable penalties levied by NASCAR

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About The Penalty

In May of 2009, Carl Long's #46 team was found to have violated the technical specifications for engine size by a mere 0.17 inches. The violation was found during the technical inspection for the NASCAR All Star weekend, a non-points paying event. For this violation, Long and his crew chief were suspended for 12 races, fined a record $200,000 and docked 200 driver and owner points. These were all record fines and penalties.

As race fans, we understand that the rules are there to be followed and the integrity of racing is based on fairness in the garage. However. It seems entirely disproportionate considering the 0.17 inch violation carried with it little or no performance increase. Moreover, the engine itself was purchased from another supplier and had been run so much that many theorize that the excessive wear and tear on the old motor and/or the excessive heat had as much to do with the 0.17 inch violation as anything.

In spite of these arguments, the National Stock Car Racing Commission denied Long's appeal on June 2, 2009, upholding the hefty fines and suspensions.

While $200,000 may seem a pittance to big mega teams like Hendrick Motorsports and Roush/Fenway Racing, $200K is poyrnyislly a business killer to a small time operation like Long's. We believe that NASCAR and the National Stock Car Racing Commission should re-address this penalty immediately and apply compassion and common sense to the situation and lessen the penalties. It simply isn't fair that these men who have made their livings in NASCAR for so ong should be put out of business by a mere 0.17 inches of oversight.

NASCAR saw fit to pardon Robby Gordon last season when a part he was supplied with by a major manufacturer was mislabeled. Worse yet, NASCAR also has the significance of history against it, as Richard Petty was found in 1983 to have won the October race at Charlotte with an engine that was a whopping 24 cubic inches too big, and NASCAR allowed him to keep the win.

We, the signers of this petition, are campaigning to get NASCAR, the National Stock Car Racing Commission and/or its Commissioner, Charles D. Strang, to re-address this penalty and apply some common sense and compassion to the case of Carl Long.