The NASCAR world may have just found out why Joe Gibbs Racing has been so dominant in the 2008 Nationwide Series.The No. 18 and No. 20 JGR Nationwide Series teams -- driven by Joey Logano and Tony Stewart -- were accused Saturday night at Michigan International Speedway of tampering with the post-race inspection process after NASCAR found magnets attached to the back of the accelerator pedals on both cars during a chassis dyno test.
During the test, NASCAR officials discovered magnets on the accelerator pedals of the two Gibbs Toyotas. Several sources said the magnets could, in theory, keep the pedals from being fully depressed, which would limit the engines' output and distort the data available to officials.The test measures the horsepower, torque, and other numbers of an engine as it sits inside the race car and by putting a magnet behind the pedal, the numbers NASCAR would get from the test would be incorrect, leading to incorrect conclusions about the parity of the competition.
"This was an attempt to interfere with NASCAR's post-race inspection process, and we are taking it very seriously," said Jim Hunter, vice president of corporate communications for the sanctioning body.
