Just as things were looking up for owner/driver Robby Gordon, NASCAR stepped in and ruined the good week by issuing a penalty for the No. 7 team. Gordon finished third in Monday’s rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway, however NASCAR officials took the rear axle housing from the No. 7 Toyota to the NASCAR R&D Center for further evaluation. Officials determined the part was too large and has issued a penalty to the independent driver.

Gordon was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4I (any determination by NASCAR Officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-10.6H (rear axle housing exceeded the maximum specified toe of plus or minus one degree) of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book.

As a result, Gordon lost 50 owner points, 50 driver points and crew chief Kirk Almquist has been placed on probation until December 31st and was hit with a $50,000 fine.

Watching the radar screen, Gordon and Almquist made the call to stay on the track while others pitted under the sixth caution of the day. With David Reutimann and Ryan Newman ahead of him on the race track, Gordon hoped the rains would come and lucky enough for him they did. NASCAR officials called the race and Gordon earned his first top-5 finish since Watkins Glen in 2007.

“For me this is a momentum builder for us,” Gordon said Monday evening. “I think we've had some decent runs.  We finished 15th at Richmond a couple weeks ago.  Unfortunately we got caught out early at Darlington.  How do you say it, success breeds success.  We've been focusing really hard on our racecars.  Another clean racecar we get to bring home.  That will help us as far as building up ammunition to go to the racetrack with.”

Now with this penalty, some of that momentum has been taken away by NASCAR. Currently 34th in owner points, Gordon’s great finish at Lowe’s brought him within sixteen points of Yates Racing’s Paul Menard in 33rd, now the independent owner/driver is sixty-six marks out of 33rd.

NASCAR also announced Andrew Crnkovic, a crew member on the No. 07 in the Camping World Truck Series, has been indefinitely suspended from the sport after testing positive for a drug test. Crnkovic tested positive on May 21 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

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