HEY ARE THOSE SOCKETS IN YOUR POCKETS OR ARE YOU JUST GLAD TO SEE ME

Source: Dave Grayson
Date: 12/10/2007

With so many race teams competing for a small number of starting berths at a short track there was bound to be some controversy. Why wouldn't there be controversy? After all, Little Busch was there. From the very beginning of the tech inspection the arguing began. Busch felt like the speedway's tech team was being a little too harsh on the NASCAR visitors. After successfully making the field following qualifying, Busch's car was rolled into the line for a post qualifying inspection. The sparks really started flying when Busch was informed that his car was just a little over the maximum height requirement and he was going to be disqualified.

Busch went on a tirade about the unfairness of the inspection procedures and then stormed off while refusing to make any further comments to anyone especially the media. No surprise there. We've seen that act before. But what happened next was simply amazing.

The Steven Wallace car was rolled onto the scales and he was informed that his car was lighter than the speedway's weight requirements but it was only by the smallest of margins. Officials decided the fair thing to do was roll the car off of the scales and then roll it back on them to insure that the tires were properly ceded on the scale plates. During this process an official turned around just in time to observe Wallace attempting to place aluminum sockets in the pockets of his driver's uniform because the tech requirements were based on the combined weight of the car and the driver. Apparently the fourth generation driver from the famous Wallace racing family was attempting to gain a couple of pounds in a hurry. Needless to say he was also disqualified from the race.

The following day Rusty Wallace Inc issued a prepared statement on behalf of their driver which read "I just want to make it clear that although our car supposedly missed one of the inspection criteria in Pensacola, it was no way done in an attempt to get around the rules. From day one, I have had deep respect for the sport and its integrity. For one reason or the other the officials were really hard on (visiting NASCAR) teams all week long. We got disqualified because they claimed that we missed one of the inspection criteria by a razor thin margin: a margin small enough that it could have been due to almost anything."

Of course the inspection team was hard on him. That's what happens to pocket stuffers. It's just another great racing story that makes the lug nuts loose.

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