What NASCAR has done to Carl Long is unthinkable. Essentially it has ruined his NASCAR career forever.
His crew chief, Charles Swing, will not be allowed to obtain his 2010 NASCAR license if the $200,000 fine is not paid. So, Charles Swing has been booted from NASCAR for all intents and purposes, never to return. This team doesn’t have $200,000 in their annual budget!
The basis for this fine and suspensions makes NASCAR appear to be looking for a reason to get the Carl Long team out of competition. The rule on engine size is 358.00 cubic inches. Supposedly, NASCAR will allow up to 358.09 based on heating/cooling. Carl Long’s engine was 358.17 cubic inches. So, his engine was .08 of a cubic inch over what NASCAR allows.
Do you know how big .08 cubic inches is? Get out a ruler and try to measure it. That’s less than .5 inch by .5 inch by .5 inch. The engine was oversize by a whopping 0.02%!
In 1991 NASCAR suspended Junior Johnson’s team 4 weeks for an engine larger than this. Carl Long’s team is suspended for 12 weeks. Why the severity for Carl Long? Although it will never happen, what if it were Earnhardt Jr., or Jeff Gordon, or Tony Stewart? NASCAR doesn’t have the courage to apply this kind of punishment to anyone on a significant team.
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