3 – MWR Caught Cheating
The run up to the Chase for the Sprint Cup is always an interesting time of year, with everyone trying anything they can do to either get themselves or their team-mates in a position to hunt down the Sprint Cup trophy at the end of the year. 2013 was no different, although Michael Waltrip Racing‘s attempts to get as many of their cars in as possible completely backfired.
Clint Bowyer, who was second in the points, allegedly intentionally brought out the caution to help his team-mate Martin Truex, Jr., who was sitting in 13th in the points, in to the Chase. After a lengthy investigation, MWR was fined $300,000 – the biggest fine in NASCAR history – for bringing Brian Vickers down pit road to bump Truex up the order and all MWR cars were thrown out of the Chase. Since then, NAPA pulled sponsorship, dropping the team to a two-car effort for 2014 with Truex – someone who was an innocent bystander in the entire scandal – the man to go. What is still to be seen is how much this has hurt Michael Waltrip Racing, who were on the verge of becoming one of NASCAR’s elite teams…
(Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka/NASCAR via Getty Images)
