Cheating Knaus simply following company policy in world of sports

At first blush, it's easy to label Chad Knaus a no-good, low-down cheating scoundrel.

It's true he didn't play fair. It's true he tried to rig the car of his driver, Jimmie Johnson, to gain a competitive edge while prepping for the Daytona 500. It's true that he's not new to this shame game. Knaus has been suspended four times in the past 11 years, and has been penalized for technical violations nine times in the past 11 years.

And it's also true that Knaus was doing something that is ingrained in the fabric of American sports:

We are a nation of cheaters.

Some subtle, some dubious, others despicable.

But the common thread here is that Knaus was simply being true to the roots of a sport that has historically pushed the envelope. "If you ain't cheatin' you ain't tryin'" is a phrase commonly associated with NASCAR, but it's also a mantra that has been embraced universally by the stick and ball boys, too.

Long before baseball players juiced up on all sorts of goodies, including the cream and the clear, pitchers would scuff balls and throw spitballs to make the little white ball do all sorts of nasty things. Hitters got even by corking their bats.

Football players not only have embraced the 'better living through chemistry' method of operation, but coaches have embraced the new technology (see "Spygate", in which the New England Patriots were caught taping the New York Jets' sideline).

The Olympics gave us blood-doping, judging scandals in figure skating, and of course, the infamous 'let's whack Nancy Kerrigan in the knees' craziness involving Tanya Harding and her henchmen.

And just this Monday, we had former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams getting called to the principal's office in New York, to explain to Roger Goddell the concept of placing bounties on players' heads.

To be clear, I don't condone any of this. This isn't a blanket get-out-of-jail free column for every single cheater in sports history. Bu the highly-competitive nature of sports breeds this type of warped thinking. If you get too caught up in moral outrage, we might have to shut down most professional sports in existence.

It's easy to go all Pollyanna on Cheatin' Knaus and his goody-two shoes sidekick, Jimmie Johnson.

Was Jimmie an innocent bystander or in on the action?

It's hard to believe that a sharp guy like Johnson could be so naive when it comes down to X's and O's of the car.

But even if Johnson was just a passenger on Chad's journey of chicanery, he should commend his crew chief for pushing the envelope, because chances are that most people who are calling Knaus a scoundrel are hypocrites.

Open up your NASCAR history books, kids. Smokey Yunick _ who used to own Daytona's Best Damn Garage in Town _ once installed an 11-foot long fuel line on his car. Darrell Waltrip's team was once accused of filling the car's frame rails with buckshot in order to pass inspection. Then once the car got up and running, Waltrip supposedly would release the BBs from a trap inside the frame rail.

And younger brother Michael Waltrip to caught in the crosshairs of a cheating scandal when his team used a fuel additive in preparation for the Daytona 500 in 2007.

Heck, there is even a book about NASCAR's no-so-dirty little secrets called: "Cheating: An Inside Look at the Bad Things Good NASCAR Winston Cup Racers Do in Pursuit of Speed."

"As far as my reputation goes, I'm not too concerned about that," Knaus said last week. "What we want to do is go out there and do the best thing we can for Hendrick Motorsports and the best things for [sponsor] Lowe's and try to win races and championships."

Don't blame Chad Knaus for cheating.

I suspect he was simply following NASCAR company policy.

gdiaz@tribune.com Read George Diaz's blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/enfuego

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NASCAR adds extra pace car after fiery Daytona 500 crash

NASCAR officials reacted quickly to try to prevent the fiery chaos that marked the 54th running of the Daytona 500.

All three series — Sprint Cup, Nationwide and the Camping World Trucks — now will feature an extra pace car with flashing lights behind the last jet-dryer truck on the track in all races.

The decision, announced during the Sprint Cup drivers' meeting Sunday morning at Phoenix International Raceway, is a proactive way of dealing with the incident at Daytona, in which Juan Pablo Montoya's car crashed into a jet-dryer truck during a caution period.

In addition, the drivers of the jet-dryer trucks also will wear helmets and firesuits during each race. Duane Barnes, the driver of the jet-dryer truck hit in the crash, was treated and released from a local hospital the night of the accident.

"No. 1 is I'm really glad to see they are already taking measures," Jimmie Johnson said. "I couldn't believe that guy got out of the truck without a helmet and a firesuit on. I don't know what kind of harness he had on, but trying to take measures to make that aspect of it safer will be a good thing.

"I would like to see them think about the structure and how that tank with all that fuel is built in and what's surrounding it in case of an impact. It doesn't necessarily have to happen from a race car at high speed, it could happen from a lot of different things. I think obviously there are a lot of lessons to be learned, and am so thankful that nobody was seriously injured in that. "

Back at Daytona, the track has undergone some cosmetic surgery, if you will, but it is uncertain whether more repair work will be necessary. The next major event scheduled to be staged on the track is the Daytona 200, a motorcycle event on March 17 that kicks off the AMA Pro Racing season.

"We have done some very minor work on it and are well-prepared for the motorcycles on March 17," said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood. "Following the completion of that event we will look at the next steps to see if we need to do something more significant. Some solutions are already in place."

The incident certainly didn't hurt NASCAR in a lot of ways. The sport was able to capture a new wave of fans who tuned into an unusual start time at 7 p.m. Monday after all the rain delays. And the fire allowed the suits at Tide to come up with a brilliant marketing plan.

Nothing like touting the cleansing power of Tide laundry detergent in a commercial by featuring a clip of the infamous 2012 Daytona 500, in which workers had to use Tide to help clean up the mess.

Kudos to Tide, which first aired the commercial during Sunday's telecast of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. As the announcer says, "Whatever it takes."

Cell phone common sense

NASCAR officials were wise to come to their senses and not penalize Brad Keselowski for carrying a cell phone in his car during the Daytona 500.

Keselowski picked up 160,000 Twitter followers after making the jet-dryer crash and the ensuing two-hour delay an interactive experience.

NASCAR officials understandably were concerned about the message that Keselowski may be sending to fans: It's OK to text while driving. But that was never his intent.

He was simply thinking about his mom.

Keselowski recalled a crash in a 2007 Nationwide Series race at Fontana when he was airlifted by helicopter to a Los Angeles hospital. Without a cell phone, he couldn't contact his mother for hours.

"That's why I keep the phone with me now," he said. "I had the team put a little pocket for it in the car. It has a practical purpose. ...The phone wasn't there for a red flag at Daytona and a jet-dryer explosion. I don't have that much foresight. You can't plan moments like that. They just happen."

And here's the bottom line: It was good — no, make that great — for business.

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Kenseth prevails in crazy Daytona 500 after jet-fuel fiasco

DAYTONA BEACH — Daytona under water Sunday. Daytona on fire Monday.

Fire and rain, bringing chaos to the 54th running of the Daytona 500.

For 24 hours, a steady drizzle prevented the field of 43 cars from revving up and going for a ride.

And then, in a flash Monday night, Juan Pablo Montoya slammed into a service vehicle, and the Daytona International Speedway went up in flames.

Only 40 laps remained, with 29 drivers on the lead lap, when Montoya lost control of his car after a caution flag came out. He avoided the first jet dryer, but slid up and into the second dryer — full of jet fuel — along turn three.

Two-hundred gallons of jet fuel, breathing fire into a night that already had ignited in chaos from the get-go.

The race was red flagged while workers tried to put out the rush of flames. It took a while: two hours, five minutes, 29 seconds.

Finally, mercifully, Matt Kenseth won the race — perhaps with a little blocking help by Roush teammate Greg Biffle — who kept Dale Earnhardt Jr. at bay. At least that's what to looked like. Biffle said he was going for it and couldn't get to Kenseth in time.

A two-lap sprint finish to a three-day marathon. A race that was supposed to start on Sunday, got pushed to Monday, and finally finished on Tuesday. The Rolex 24 at Daytona, a warm-up act to the Daytona 36.

Kenseth, who lost radio contact with his team during the race, became a two-time Daytona 500 winner.

" I'd like to have won. ... I waited until the last minute for him to pass Matt but nothing happened," Earnhardt said.

Said Kenseth: "I have to thank Greg. We worked together really good all day long. He had a really fast car all day as well."

"We needed a gap between us on the 17 [Kenseth]," Biffle said. "It wasn't meant to be."

By day or by night, the Daytona 500 always seems to come down to a sophisticated game of rock, paper, scissors.

Or, as Brad Keselowski said a few days ago, "We'll see who wins the lottery."

Eventually, Keselowski went bump in the night too, although he became a Twitter sensation after sending out a picture of the track in flames with a cell phone he had in his car.

Attrition is always arbitrary here. Two laps into the first official evening race in Daytona 500 history, Elliott Sadler must have suffered night blindness: He smashed into Jimmie Johnson, causing a chaotic chain-reaction that took out Johnson, Kurt Busch, defending Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne and Danica Patrick.

Talk about a NASCAR serial killer.

Sadler was the ultimate buzz-kill on a night where NASCAR's signature race had already turned into an endless commercial for NoDoz, 5-Hour Energy, double-cappuccinos from Starbucks, anything that keeps you up and running.

We waited. We waited some more.

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Kenseth prevails in wild Daytona 500 after jet-fuel fiasco flames up

DAYTONA BEACH — Daytona under water Sunday. Daytona on fire Monday.

Fire and rain, bringing chaos to the 54th running of the Daytona 500.

For 24 hours, a steady drizzle prevented the field of 43 cars from revving up and going for a ride.

And then, in a flash Monday night, Juan Pablo Montoya slammed into a service vehicle, and the Daytona International Speedway went up in flames.

Only 40 laps remained, with 29 drivers on the lead lap, when Montoya lost control of his car after a caution flag came out. He avoided the first jet dryer, but slid up and into the second dryer — full of jet fuel — along turn three.

Two-hundred gallons of jet fuel, breathing fire into a night that already had ignited in chaos from the get-go.

The race was red flagged while workers tried to put out the rush of flames. It took a while: two hours, five minutes, 29 seconds.

Finally, mercifully, Matt Kenseth won the race — perhaps with a little blocking help by Roush teammate Greg Biffle — who keptDale Earnhardt Jr. at bay. At least that's what to looked like. Biffle said he was going for it and couldn't get to Kenseth in time.

A two-lap sprint finish to a three-day marathon. A race that was supposed to start on Sunday, got pushed to Monday, and finally finished on Tuesday. The Rolex 24 at Daytona, a warm-up act to the Daytona 36.

Kenseth, who lost radio contact with his team during the race, became a two-time Daytona 500 winner.

" I'd like to have won. ... I waited until the last minute for him to pass Matt but nothing happened," Earnhardt said.

Said Kenseth: "I have to thank Greg. We worked together really good all day long. He had a really fast car all day as well."

"We needed a gap between us on the 17 [Kenseth]," Biffle said. "It wasn't meant to be."

By day or by night, the Daytona 500 always seems to come down to a sophisticated game of rock, paper, scissors.

Or, as Brad Keselowski said a few days ago, "We'll see who wins the lottery."

Eventually, Keselowski went bump in the night too, although he became a Twitter sensation after sending out a picture of the track in flames with a cell phone he had in his car.

Attrition is always arbitrary here. Two laps into the first official evening race in Daytona 500 history, Elliott Sadler must have suffered night blindness: He smashed into Jimmie Johnson, causing a chaotic chain-reaction that took out Johnson, Kurt Busch, defending Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne and Danica Patrick.

Talk about a NASCAR serial killer.

Sadler was the ultimate buzz-kill on a night where NASCAR's signature race had already turned into an endless commercial for NoDoz, 5-Hour Energy, double-cappuccinos from Starbucks, anything that keeps you up and running.

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Jet dryer driver involved in NASCAR explosion returned from hospital for race ending

Duane Barnes, the driver of the jet dryer truck that was involved in a crazy Daytona 500 crash and explosion, proved his dedication to the sport Monday night.

Sammie Lukaskiewicz, the director of communications at Michigan International Speedway and one of Barnes' co-workers there, said Tuesday that Barnes went to the hospital after the accident only as a precaution and tried to hurry through his examination as quickly as possible.

"He wanted to make sure he got out of the hospital with enough time to go back and watch the race," Lukaskiewicz said.

He did, returning to see Matt Kenseth take the checkered flag in front ofDale Earnhardt Jr. and Greg Biffle.

With 40 laps remaining Monday and the race under caution, Juan Pablo Montoya was running by himself to catch up with the rest of the pack. As he neared turn three, he suddenly lost control of his car and clipped the Barnes-driven dryer truck, which was on the track during the caution to help clear debris. The collision caused a small explosion, and jet fuel sprayed onto the pavement and ignited.

NASCAR was forced to red-flag the race, with all the cars returning to the pits, to put out the fire and clean the track.

Barnes, a 52-year-old maintenance worker at Michigan International Speedway, declined interview requests on Tuesday. A MIS worker for 24 years, he often travels to assist other International Speedway racetracks with the jet dryer, which is used to quickly dry racing surfaces, Lukaskiewicz said. His services were much-needed this past weekend as rain Sunday and Monday forced the race, originally schedule for 1 p.m. Sunday, to be postponed until Monday night.

Once the race did get under way, it was marred by cautions — 10 in all. Besides Montoya's crash, the biggest came on just the second lap when Elliott Sadler bumped five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, causing Johnson to lose control and crash into the wall. Danica Patrick, David Ragan, Kurt Busch and defending Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne also got caught up in the crash. While Patrick and Bayne returned to the race later, Johnson, Ragan and Busch were out.

Later, former NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon blew an engine and was unable to finish the race.

In all, it made for a long night. The race, which started at 7:15 p.m. Monday, didn't end until 12:56 a.m. Tuesday.

Through it all, the track workers, like Barnes, performed admirably. NASCAR president Mike Helton said that is no accident. Daytona International Speedway and NASCAR work with fire-safety crews to practice emergency protocols. More than 700 track workers from around the world attend a three-day summit filled with refreshment courses to help train first responders at racetracks.

"Every year for the past several years we've hosted a summit that supplements our attrack visits with a group of NASCAR officials who focus on working with the tracks to address unusual situations that may happen at the racetrack that we know from experience," Helton said.

"But what we do know from experience is that we came prepared for everything, and this evening was one of those incidents that everybody had to collectively react to."

As for Barnes, Lukaskiewicz reported that, as of Tuesday, he seemed unaffected by the accident with Montoya.

"Yeah, he's doing OK," Lukaskiewicz said. "He was back to his old self."

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Danica delirium gets pelted by rain, wrecks

DAYTONA BEACH — Just call it the James Taylor 500.

"I've seen fire and I've seen rain."

It was already bad enough for sad, soggy race fans that the Daytona 500 was postponed by rain Sunday for the first time in its 54-year history.

But who would have ever imagined that the race would be delayed again late Monday night because of a jet fuel fire?

It's only appropriate that the No. 1 song in America right now is Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain." Who knew she was a NASCAR fan?

In one of the most bizarre incidents in racing history, driver Juan Pablo Montoya lost control of his car and collided with a safety truck carrying jet fuel. The collision caused a huge explosion as 200 gallons of jet fuel poured out of the truck and caught fire on the track.

Said NASCAR President Mike Helton: "Just when you think you've seen it all, you see something different."

Two years ago it was potholes that ravaged the track, causing the race to be postponed until maintenance workers filled in the holes with Bondo. On Sunday, it was a deluge that postponed the race until Monday. And then on Monday, a jet dryer was blowing debris off the track during a caution when Montoya's car spun out of control and collided with a truck carrying a jet dryer and its tank of jet fuel.

In every way imaginable, this Daytona 500 will go down as one of the most disappointing of all time. This was supposed to be the Danica 500, but morphed into the Downpour 500 and then ignited into the Detonation 500.

Coming into the weekend, Danica Patrick was the big story, but, sadly for NASCAR, the Danica Delirium never materialized. Instead, fans endured two days of rain delays and Danica was involved in three wrecks in as many races. Moments after the 500 started Monday night, Jimmie Johnson lost control of his car on the second lap, causing Danica and defending race champion Trevor Bayne to wreck. Even though she eventually returned to the race, her car suffered heavy damage and was never a factor.

"Not exactly what we were hoping for," said Timmy Higgins, a Danica fan who came down from Atlanta. "She had some rotten luck this week."

So did the entire Daytona 500. Time and again, the race was delayed and pushed back by inclement weather. It reached a point when the race finally got underway Monday night when you expected the opening command to be, "Gentlemen, start your windshield wipers!"

Imagine how race fans must feel. Thousands and thousands of them save their money all year just so they can go on vacation to Florida and watch the Great American Race. Many of them had to leave to go back to work after rain postponed the race on Sunday. The ones that stayed Monday had to endure another seven-hour rain delay and then the bizzaro jet fuel delay.

Who would have ever thought that just two days ago we were talking about the Daytona 500 and the NBA All-Star Game constituting the greatest sports weekend in Central Florida history? The All-Star Game certainly held up its end of the bargain, but the same certainly can't be said for the James Taylor 500.

As Taylor himself might sing about this bizarre race,

"I've seen fire and I've seen rain,

I've seen jet fuel burning down by victory lane,

And I always thought I'd see Junior win one more time again."

mbianchi@tribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @BianchiWrites. Listen to his radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on 740 AM.mbianchi@tribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @BianchiWrites. Listen to his radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on 740 AM.

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Fire and rain wreck Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH – Just call it the James Taylor 500.

"I've seen fire and I've seen rain."

It was already bad enough for sad, soggy race fans that the Daytona 500 was postponed by rain Sunday for the first time in its 54-year history.

But who would have ever imagined that the six-hour race -- finally and mercifully won by Matt Kenseth just before 1 a.m. -- would be delayed again late Monday night because of a jet fuel fire?

It seems only appropriate that the No. 1 song in America right now is Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain." Who knew she was a NASCAR fan?

In one of the most extraordinary incidents in racing history, driver Juan Pablo Montoya inexplicably lost control of his car late in the race and collided with a safety truck carrying jet fuel. The collision caused a huge explosion as 200 gallons of jet fuel poured out of the truck and caught fire on the track.

Two years ago it was potholes that ravaged the track, causing the race to be postponed until maintenance workers filled in the holes with Bondo. On Sunday, it was a deluge that postponed the race until Monday. And then on Monday, a jet dryer was blowing debris off the track during a caution when Montoya's car spun out of control and collided with the safety truck carrying a jet dryer and its tank of jet fuel.

What next: A giant flying octopus swooping in to sabotage Tony Stewart's restrictor plate, hijack the entire Hendrick Motorsports team and steal Kyle Busch's pacifier?

"You'd think after 65 years of running NASCAR races that you've seen about everything," said NASCAR President Mike Helton. "But tonight it got to a point where you said to yourself, "Ohmygosh, if that can happen, what else could happen?"

Give Kenseth credit for masterfully winning his second Daytona 500 in the last four years. Kenseth held off a last-lap charge by the paired-up duo of Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"We had a great horsepower, pretty unbelievable speed and it just came down to whoever was in the front at the end," Kenseth said.

"We couldn't ever get to Matt," said Earnhardt, who finished second and now has gone 130 races without winning. "I kind of waited until the last minute. I thought it was a great race. I want to thank the fans for sticking around on a Monday night and everyone who tuned in at home. Sorry about the delay and everything."

Despite the relatively close finish, this Daytona 500 will go down as one of the most disappointing of all-time. This was supposed to be the Danica 500, but morphed into the Downpour 500 and then ignited into the Detonation 500.

Coming into the weekend, Danica Patrick was the big story, but, sadly for NASCAR, the Danica Delirium never materialized. Instead, fans endured two days of rain delays and Danica was involved in three wrecks in as many races. Moments after the 500 started Monday night, Jimmie Johnson lost control of his car on the second lap, causing Danica and defending race champion Trevor Bayne to wreck. Even though she eventually returned to the race, her car suffered heavy damage and was never a factor.

"Not exactly what we were hoping for," said Timmy Higgins, a Danica fan who came down from Atlanta. "She had some rotten luck this week."

So did the entire Daytona 500. Time and again, the race was delayed and pushed back by inclement weather. It reached a point when the race finally got underway Monday night when you expected the opening command to be, "Gentlemen, start your windshield wipers!"

"It's frustrating," said a dejected Joie Chitwood, president of the Daytona International Speedway, during Monday's rain delay. "What makes it even more frustrating is we were building to this great Daytona 500. You could just feel it in the air. We were getting ready to knock it out of the park."

He shook his head.

"That's what makes this even more deflating."

Who would have ever thought that just two days ago we were talking about the Daytona 500 and the NBA All-Star Game constituting the greatest sports weekend in Central Florida history. The All-Star Game certainly held up its end of the bargain, but the same cannot be said for the James Taylor 500.

As Taylor himself might sing about this bizarre race:

"I've seen fire and I've seen rain,

I've seen jet fuel burning down by victory lane,

And I always thought I'd see Junior win one more time again."

mbianchi@tribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @BianchiWrites. Listen to his radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on 740 AM.

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