Brian France: We expect '100 percent' effort

    NASCAR Chairman Brian France made the following opening statement on Saturday following the mandatory meeting of Sprint Cup Series drivers, crew chiefs and owners.

   France: "We just a few moments ago wrapped up a meeting with the drivers and the owners and crew chiefs, and at the center of that meeting was what our expectations were going forward and how we intended ‑ and those expectations are that a driver and a team give 100 percent effort, their best effort, to complete a race and race as hard as they possibly can.

   "And we issued a variety of things, some clarifications and some adjustments to our ability to officiate that.  We addressed team rules, and as I said, a variety of other things, all designed to do what our fans expect, and that means that they're driver and their team give 100 percent to finish as high up in a given race as possible. 

   "We were very clear about that. That's our expectations. It's an evolving issue in some ways because of historical things that have happened in the past and the subjectivity that may or may not be part of individual calls going forward. But that's the center of it, and that's what our fans expect, and that's what the drivers want to do, as well, so that was the centerpiece. I'll let Mike walk through some of the specifics."

Brian Vickers: 'We don't race public opinion.'

  

   Brian Vickers, who made it clear in an article on USAToday.com that he believes he did nothing wrong on Saturday, reiterated his view again Friday after qualifying.

    Q: "How do you and your team move forward after this week?
    Vickers: "I think it's really up to -- my perspective of the whole situation is I think that the team is going to move forward just fine. I  think how things have been handled are wrong. We acted in accordance to the rules. We played by the same standards that everyone else has played by since the day I entered the sport. We did nothing different than what I've done with other teams or what I've been asked to do with other teams in my past, or when I started my career with Hendrick. I feel fine. I think it's a shame how MWR has been made out to be the 'bad guy' in the situation. And then the other teams involved got away 'scott free.' I hate it for the employees. I hate it for everyone at MWR. There's a lot of great people at this company and I said that in my article -- the column that I wrote (for USA Today). I stand by these guys. They're a great group of guys. If someone  doesn't like the results -- that's fine. They're entitled to their opinion. But, we don't race opinion -- we race the rule book. And to my knowledge, there's no rule in the rule book that said we couldn't pit for the reason we're choosing. We don't race public opinion. If public opinion wants the rules changed -- then they should change the rules and we'll race by those rules. Until then, I'll say it again and I said it in the column, I'm proud to be a part of this team. I'm proud of how hard they work. I'm proud of their efforts and the way they work and I stand by that. I'm proud of our partners for sticking with us and I just really hate it for this team. Unfortunately, they got the raw end of the stick and it seems like no one else did."

   You can read Vickers' USA Today article here.

NASCAR adds Jeff Gordon to the 2013 Chase

   JOLIET, Ill. - After a review of the "total circumstances" of Saturday night's Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Chairman Brian France has elected to add Jeff Gordon to this season's Chase for the Sprint Cup, which begins Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway.

   Gordon will be added as a 13th driver to the field, which already includes the Top 10 in series standings plus two wild cards based on number of wins.

   NASCAR has also placed the Front Row Motorsports and Penske Racing organizations on probation for the remainder of the year.

   NASCAR will hold a mandatory meeting with teams on Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway in which in will spell out its policies and rules regarding team orders and other team communication issues going forward.

   "More than anything, it's just the right thing to do," France said. "There were just too many things that went on that gave a clear disadvantage to (Gordon)."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. loses pit crew member to injury

   Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of 12 drivers who begin this weekend to compete in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, will be without one of his regular pit crew members, at least for several weeks.

   Hendrick Motorsports officials confirmed Friday morning that rear tire changer Joe Slingerland suffered a serious injury in a non-work related injury accident earlier this week and will miss much if not all of the Chase.

   David Mayo will fill-in for Slingerland during his absence.

   Slingerland told the Web site PitTalks.com he suffered a broken wrist and concussion in a accident at the U.S. National White Water Center on Tuesday night.

   Read the story at PitTalks.com here.

Fox Sports says Michael Waltrip will remain as analyst

  

   Fox Sports provided The Charlotte Observer the following statement on Thursday regarding Michael Waltrip's role with the network in light of NASCAR's penalties issued to Michael Waltrip Racing for manipulating the outcome of Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Richmond, Va.:

   “We were disappointed in the events that occurred in Richmond Saturday night, and we applaud NASCAR for acting to rectify the situation swiftly. Michael has expressed his regret over what occurred, and we believe him to be a man of integrity. As a NASCAR on FOX broadcaster, he’s demonstrated an ability to separate his roles as a driver/owner and an opinionated analyst of the sport, and we expect him to continue as an analyst for us going forward.”

Penske Racing's Tim Cindric: 'There was no conspiracy'

  Penske Racing president Tim Cindric was on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Wednesday night with host Claire B. Lang and discussed the "controversy" involving his team and Front Row Motorsports.

    Tim Cindric: "I know that NASCAR is gathering the facts about the whole situation and that's their job, that's what they have to do. But the facts from where I sit are, number one, there was no conspiracy, there was no bribe. Roger Penske is not involved in trying to manipulate the outcome of a race or what have you. In fact, the first time Roger heard any of this stuff was this afternoon. So the 'big guy' as he's called wasn't part of any discussion with any spotter. But there's a lot of discussion that goes on up on that spotter's stand. I watch the races [from] up there quite often and there's a lot of discussion, there's a lot of requests from one team to another team about, 'Hey, this is our situation, can you help us?' and that type of thing. What I've seen has been totally blown out of proportion by a radio conversation that Penske didn't have anything to do with."

    Lang: "What are you guys doing about this? Regardless of what NASCAR says do you look closer at it? Has NASCAR been in communication with you guys?"

    Cindric: "Yeah, I mean, internally, obviously, our integrity is very important to us. Roger has spent his lifetime creating the integrity that he has and the organization has. It's difficult to listen when people challenge that. There's a lot of things that you can't do to change people's opinions. The facts are there was no radio communication on our side. There was a lot of discussion over there that I really can't explain because I really don't know the basis for it. I know NASCAR is investigating that on their own so I'll let that process take its course. But what I can tell you, like I say, is that there were no offers, there were no bribes, there were no conspiracies from our end. And also the facts are that the outcome of the race and the way it affected the Chase and all that is pretty much a moot point anyway."

NAPA will "review" partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing

   Complete text of NAPA statement via Facebook on Michael Waltrip Racing:

    Dear Facebook Fans and the NAPA community,

    The actions taken by Michael Waltrip’s Racing team this past weekend leading to the penalties assessed by NASCAR, are very concerning. We are disappointed that a partner associated with our organization would make such a significant error in judgment. In addition, we have launched our own review to determine the future of our partnership with Michael Waltrip’s Racing team. The NAPA AUTO PARTS organization is proud of its long-standing NASCAR relationship. We share a passion with our customers for high quality racing and seek to determine the best course of action for our customers, NASCAR fans, and the NAPA organization.

   NAPA