I’ve mentioned several times in this column that I am a Hendrick Motorsports fan; specifically, Jeff Gordon. I root for him, I defend him, and I support his team for being innovators.

Two weekends ago in Sonoma, Gordon’s team and Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 team received penalties for infractions found during inspection. Fenders on both Chevrolets were bent in such a way as to create more downforce for the cars, a crucial element on a road course and even more important with the Car of Tomorrow.

The templates used for the Car of Tomorrow essentially are combined together to create a cage. A car is rolled onto the platform and the “cage” comes down around the car, measuring the fit of the car on all the templates at one time. The templates are to fit securely and components need to touch one another.

As explained, the penalties were for infractions that technically don’t exist. The area of the fender that was modified is not touched by a template in any spot. Anything that touched the fender was in compliance, but those few square inches where nothing is measured by NASCAR became a gray area in which Chad Knaus and Steve Letarte, crew chiefs for the 48 and 24 respectively, began to play.

NASCAR fined owners 100 owner points, $100,000 and the drivers were docked 100 points as well. Gordon, as a part owner of Johnson’s team, felt the sting one and a half times. The crew chiefs were suspended for six races effective in New Hampshire.

This fine is consistent with the one handed down to Tony Eury, Jr., crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Eury Jr. will be joining his team this week at Daytona after a six week absence.

The question is this. Was NASCAR too harsh or too lenient with the Hendrick penalties? Consider the cases side by side. Eury Jr.’s penalty came from unapproved parts for the car’s back wing. The Hendrick penalties came from modifying an area in which no template or rule existed.

On the surface, it might seem that Eury Jr.’s crime was more severe, because explicit rules were skirted. But look closer into the Hendrick team and you see a pattern and in truth, a violation that ran roughshod over the spirit of the rules and the very core idea of the COT.

Knaus has already been branded a cheater and served a suspension for the season opener in 2006. His driver went on to win the Daytona 500 with an interim crew chief, Darian Grubb, who took Johnson to another victory just two races later.  Letarte is a relative newcomer to fines, but he still modified his fenders the same way Knaus did.

Personally, I felt the penalties would be much harsher for HMS. NASCAR is accused daily of favoritism toward the flagship Chevy team, and I thought for sure they would be blasted with twice the fines and suspensions the Budweiser team endured. Yet, they were given the same penalty, showing that NASCAR can show some consistency.

These penalties, however, are no real setback for the HMS teams. It was widely reported that Knaus and Letarte were at the racetrack and apparently stationed inside motorhomes nearby, in constant contact with the crew. On Sunday’s race coverage, commentator Larry McReynolds interviewed Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s Vice President of Competition, and asked questions about the presence of Knaus and Letarte.

Pemberton stated that the crew chiefs could not do anything that required a NASCAR license, namely, be inside the garages, pit road, and few other places. They are not allowed to be present during practices, qualifying, races or be on the radio at any time. But nothing stopped them from burning up the phone lines or communicating via e-mail, instant messenger and computerized car telemetry. If you use PitCommand, you’re in good company. The suspended crew chiefs have used it too while away from the track.

Hendrick temporarily promoted from within, placing car chiefs Ron Malec and Jeff Meendering into the top positions. But Malec and Meendering were helped with their setups by the real crew chiefs. In the end, Malec’s 48 team finished fifth and Meendering’s 24 team placed second at New Hampshire.

This penalty is largely symbolic. With the crew chiefs on site and a phone call or IM away, the suspension is rendered meaningless. Those fines collected by NASCAR? Ever wonder where they go? They go into a pot and at the end of the year are redistributed to drivers. I believe it is the top twenty drivers who get a cut of this pot. In 2004, Kurt Busch was penalized and ended up getting back more money than he originally paid out. With smaller fines routinely collected from minor infractions weekly, that pot grows quickly over 38 weeks. I wonder what Kyle Petty thinks about that redistribution? Victory Junction could sure use that money. The NASCAR Foundation could probably allocate it pretty well. Even the NBA and NFL, which house some of the most egregious athletic offenders in both sports and real life, distribute fines to charities.

What incentive is there to effectively curb cheating? I read in some articles that perhaps driver suspension may be considered. While it is not fair to the driver (because most of them don’t even see their car until they come to the track), it would certainly turn some heads in the garage, in the stands and with sponsors.

Kick the crew chiefs out. Leave them at home. If they are discovered within ten miles of the track, double the penalty. It may be too difficult to monitor phone and computer transmissions, but at least the guy isn’t right there so you can meet with him face to face. Stop the pool of fines from going back to the top drivers. Why worry about $100,000 coming out of your pocket when you could get twice or three times that much back at Thanksgiving? It makes cheating in the sport almost profitable if you’re a top-tier team.

While it’s already been said, make it clear again that any manipulation of the car -- whether it touches parts of the templates or not -- is grounds for suspension and fines. In these cases, forget about consistency unless those fines and suspensions consistently increase in money and time away from the track.

I love NASCAR. I love Hendrick Motorsports. I hate how these penalties are drops in the buckets for big teams and really have little to no bearing on the team’s performance. The price the team should expect to pay for circumventing the rules should increase until they put too large a dent in someone’s pocket or too large a dent in their head to perhaps wake them up. This isn’t Smokey Yunick’s NASCAR any more.

Have a question or comment for Samantha? Email her at samanthamaynard@sportsgrumblings.com.