Earnhardt Endorses MWR Sanctions

Earnhardt on CBS This Morning

NASCAR’s most popular driver said today that the sanctioning body was right to  severely sanction Michael Waltrip Racing in the aftermath of Saturday night’s race at Richmond International Raceway.  

Appearing on CBS This Morning today, Earnhardt said, "I like to see NASCAR drop the big hammer. I like to see the sport handled sternly and handled fairly. The integrity of the sport and the health of the sport is of the utmost importance to me as a driver."

Clint Bowyer’s Toyota spun with seven laps remaining in Saturday night’s race, necessitating a final restart that dramatically altered the outcome of the event, as well as the 12-driver lineup for the championship Chase. Race leader Ryan Newman emerged from pit road fifth after a disastrous final pit stop, losing what appeared to be a certain win and a berth in the Chase. He subsequently made the Chase field as a result of penalties assessed to MWR driver Marti Truex, Jr., following the race. Jeff Gordon lost a Chase-clinching finish in Saturday’s final laps, as well.

Earnhardt Jr., who had a bird eye view of Bowyer’s controversial spin, repeated his previous assertion that the move looked "kind of odd. Where he spun, how he spun and how he slowed down the car prior to spinning... it appeared to me that he was trying to find a safe place to get the car spun out.”

Earnhardt admitting intentionally spinning his own car at Bristol Motor Speedway in an effort to produce a timely caution flag a few years ago, but said his infraction was different than Bowyer’s.

"I admitted it and I owned it," said Earnhardt, adding that he was subsequently fined by NASCAR for his actions.