NASCAR looks the other way when drivers bump-draft and trade quarter-panel paint, but Tuesday the stock-car organization made it clear that tackling and roughing should remain solely in football and hockey.
Craig Curione, the Evernham Motorsports crew member who knocked driver Kevin Harvick, Harvick’s wife and a NASCAR official to the infield pavement after Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, was suspended indefinitely and fined $10,000.
Harvick and wife DeLana Harvick were not injured, but NASCAR official John Sacco suffered a sprained ankle. Before barreling into Kevin Harvick to begin a domino effect, Curione, the front-tire carrier for Scott Riggs, accused Harvick of wrecking Riggs on lap 331 of the Dickies 500.
Riggs and Harvick were racing for third when Riggs lost control – before any contact was made – and then Harvick hit him, sending Riggs hard into the wall.
Harvick went on to finish third. Riggs was 31st.
“Harvick took the air off the back of the car,” Mike Dillon, who works with Harvick for Richard Childress Racing, said on NASCAR.com. “He got really close and never touched him. (Harvick) never touched him until (Riggs’) car got out from under him.”
James Rocco, who owns Riggs’ car, said he and Evernham Motorsports support NASCAR’s penalty against Curione, who hails from Sanborn, N.Y.
“We apologize to Kevin and DeLana Harvick, NASCAR, our partners and our fans for this incident,” Rocco said in a release. “The behavior demonstrated by the involved crew member was in violation of the Valvoline Evernham Racing Employee Code of Conduct and will not be tolerated.”
Hornish stocks up
Might Sam Hornish Jr. be the next American open-wheel star to switch to NASCAR? Hornish, a three-time Indy Racing League champion and 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner, will attempt to qualify Penske Racing’s No. 39 Dodge in this weekend’s Busch Series race at Phoenix.
“I’ve completed a lot of laps at Phoenix in an IndyCar the last several years,” Hornish said in a team release. “Hopefully, that experience will transfer to our preparations this week with the Busch car.”
Hornish never has competed in a national NASCAR circuit. Until September, the same was true for Thornton resident and Champ Car star A.J. Allmen- dinger, who will compete full time in Nextel Cup next year.
The open-wheelers who have made a smooth transition to Cup cars include a bevy of today’s stars, including Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman and Casey Mears.
Footnotes
With two remaining races, all 10 Chase drivers remain eligible to win the championship, making this year’s the tightest battle in series history. However, only the top five drivers have a realistic shot at the title. The top five are separated by 105 points. … Points leader Jimmie Johnson is the fourth driver to lead this year’s Chase – the most in the format’s three-year history. … Phoenix’s Checker Auto Parts 500 on Sunday isn’t 500 miles or 500 laps. It’s 500 kilometers, equaling 312 laps. The same formula was used in 1996 in the first stock-car race at the old Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain. … Kyle Petty, for the first time since early September, will have a guaranteed lineup spot this weekend. Petty finished 11th at Texas to pass Sterling Marlin for 35th in the car owner standings. The top 35 cars are guaranteed a starting spot in the field. … Only three Cup drivers have multiple victories at Phoenix: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and Davey Allison.
Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
