On Wednesday, NASCAR disqualified the No. 7NY team owned by Sprint Cup Series crew chief Kevin "Bono" Manion, which won last weekend's Whelen Modified Series race at New Hampshire with driver Ryan Newman.
The team's crew chief and Manion were both suspended from competition in any NASCAR regional touring series until Dec. 31. Newman and Manion's entry in the race was disqualified.
Wednesday night a statement was released by Manion, who serves as crew chief for Cup driver Jamie McMurray:
“I had no intention to ruin my or my team’s reputations or put a black eye on the NWMT in any way, shape or manner,” explained Manion. “It was never anyone’s intent to cheat. We have won numerous races with the No. 7NY and Ryan and have been through and passed inspection for each of them. Unfortunately, the penalties were a result of circumstances beyond our control. Everyone on our team has won NWMT races in the past and never did anything of this magnitude while racing full-time in the series.
“With that being said, though we don’t like or agree with the severity of the penalty, we accept the penalty that NASCAR has given out to us. We will still give back to the modified series as it gave us so many years of experience in order for us to do what we do today. We will try to win more races and bring more fans from the Cup fan base to crossover to the NWMT.”
