A routine series of technical inspections of Factory X and Factory Stock Showdown entries at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis a week ago has set in motion the exit of one high-profile entry, and reignited a decades-long quarrel between diehard brand loyalists.
The inspections in question unearthed supercharger pulley-related rules violations by a number of Chevrolet-powered teams, with five of the six teams being permitted to correct the issue and remain in competition at the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. One of those entries, Aaron Stanfield, went on to win the Factory X crown over Lenny Lottig.
On Friday, with rumors of the wrongdoing already well into circulation, the NHRA announced its sanctions against the Factory X entries of Aaron Stanfield and father Greg Stanfield, along with the Factory Stock Showdown entries of Doug Hamp, Lee Hartman, Stephen Bell, and Tony Scott, docking each 100 championship points and levying a fine of $2,500.
The most vocal of competitors has been Geoff Turk, who campaigns Factory X’s only Dodge, with Alex Laughlin at the wheel, and also lends technical support to the Dodge Challenger Drag Pak Factory Stock Showdown entry of Ray Nash. The consequences, Turk says, are merely a slap on the wrist.
“In the famous case of Jerry Eckman, prior to competition, in Pro Stock, a nitrous bottle and system explosion in the pits in his entry, before any runs were made and perhaps one not even yet connected and functional, when discovered, resulted in he and his crew chief being suspended from competition for two years and fined $25,000, each. The system had not been run and based upon performance, there was no clear evidence it ever had been. While this level of corrective action might have been too heavy-handed, the contrast to what was just done, is startling. I will no longer attempt to defend the actions of NHRA, debate their accused favoritism to a brand and/or competitor or group of competitors because their actions are simply, indefensible,” Turk asserts.
“Top level teams and many, many of their drivers were blatantly, flagrantly, and in numerous highly deceitful ways, massively cheating to gain advantage and win. Performance changes in these competitors make it clear that this was not a one event occurrence, but a pattern of behavior with corresponding impacts and race outcomes that reach far back to the beginning of this season and perhaps back further,” Turk suggests.
As Turk alluded to at…
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