TOUGH TIMES FOR JOHNSON.

Byline: TIM HADDOCK Motor Sports

NASCAR's penalty came down as expected on Chad Knaus, crew chief for Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

He was hit with essentially a four-race suspension, $25,000 fine and is on probation for the remainder of the year for altering Johnson's car before qualifying for the Daytona 500.

It was one of the most severe penalties in the history of NASCAR.

Instead of leaving Daytona and heading to California Speedway with a little momentum and a degree of confidence, Johnson said he has a black cloud hanging over his team.

Ask Ryan Newman and that cloud has been gathering for some time.

``You know, it's just disappointing,'' Newman said in the post-race news conference after the Daytona 500. ``I mean, I think a lot of Jimmie Johnson and his talent and stuff, but I'm pretty sure at least three out of his last four, if not three out of his last three wins have had conflicts with the cars being illegal. You know, it's not necessarily good for the sport.

``But nevertheless, their team did a good job of putting Jimmie in position to win the race. Everything else aside, Jimmie did drive a smart and somewhat overaggressive race.''

Newman not only questioned whether Johnson's win at Daytona should stand in light of his car being altered during qualifying, but if other recent wins should be allowed.

The races Newman was referring to happened last year, specifically at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway in Delaware.

In the race at Las Vegas, Johnson's car didn't pass post-race inspection. But his team appealed, and won, in a rare lapse of judgment on NASCAR's part.

Then there was Johnson's win at Dover where the shocks on Johnson's car were the focus of inspection. They passed, then were dubbed illegal by NASCAR.

``Then we come to the 500, and something happens in qualifying, and that black cloud has fallen over our race victory,'' Johnson said. ``That just disappoints me, and I hate to see it. This team is very proud of what we've accomplished. There's no doubt that Chad has been aggressive and walks a fine line. He stepped over the line and he's living with the consequences right now.''

As hard as NASCAR came down on Knaus, he is lucky he didn't cost his team any points in the championship standings.

Kevin Harvick's crew chief Todd Berrier was penalized almost as severely as Knaus for breaking the rules of NASCAR last year. The difference is Berrier cost his driver 25 points in the standings.

Knaus didn't suffer that penalty. It could have put Johnson tied for fifth with Tony Stewart instead of heading to California Speedway with a 15- point edge over Newman and Casey Mears.

Now Johnson has to prepare for Sunday's Auto Club 500 without Knaus in his pits. It's not a promising proposition.

``California has a different set of challenges than Daytona,'' Johnson said. ``Very limited with the changes you can make to the cars. At Fontana and Vegas and the races following, getting into the downforce tracks, there's so many different things in the setup that you can mess with. That's going to be the real challenge: How we work at Fontana together if we're faced with this situation.''

If anything, having to work through and win the Daytona 500 without Knaus has given Johnson's team the confidence to repeat its performance.

``There's no doubt that it takes away from the race team and from our performance,'' Johnson said. ``I think last week in Daytona, working through the duels and 500, it gave the team a lot of confidence.

``Hey, we're at a disadvantage, but let's make the most of it. We all have the ability to win, so let's tap into that, work hard, and make it happen. We did that.''

Now they have to do it for the next three races. Not exactly the best way to start the season, especially for a Daytona 500 winner.

CAPTION(S):

box

Box:

RACE WEEK

BY TIM HADDOCK