Jimmie Johnson On Martinsville Speeding Penalty Comments: My Bad!

Jimmie Johnson apologized to NASCAR on Tuesday for questioning the sanctioning body’s credibility after his pit-road speeding penalty Sunday at Martinsville, telling reporters during a conference call that he had a lack of information at the time.

“The comments I made...were without all the information,” Johnson said. “The fact of the matter is we were wrong.”

Johnson was busted for speeding on pit road late in Sunday’s race, which cost him a chance to win at one of his best tracks. While he said he was sorry for questioning NASCAR’s credibility, he repeatedly called for a more transparent process with pit road speeds.

NASCAR does not publicly release the speed of each driver on pit road (which is divided up into segments to catch potential rule-breakers), and even teams don’t receive them unless by request after the race.

“If the pit road segment times were broadcast live for everyone to review, it would eliminate this finger-pointing,” Johnson said. “At the end of the day, it’s probably not good for me to climb out of the car and call NASCAR’s credibility into judgment – and I apologize to NASCAR for that. But when you’re only dealing with part of the information in the heat of the moment, it’s easy to react.”

Johnson was upset because he believed he was not speeding in the segment in which NASCAR said he surpassed the 30 mph limit and 5 mph tolerance. The five-time Sprint Cup champion was actually correct about the segment he thought he was penalized for, but learned Monday that NASCAR caught him exceeding the limit in a different zone.

Once Johnson learned that information, he said he realized, “Well, damn, we screwed up.” That’s why he would have preferred the pit road speeds were immediately available, he added.

Pit road speed is a more complex issue than it may seem. Because pit road is divided into segments, teams choose pit stalls that will help drivers maximize their speed in a given segment.

For example: A driver could choose a pit box that is just past one of the timing lines. After sitting in his stall to get a pit stop, there’s no way he could exceed the speed limit for the remainder of that segment. So he can drive as fast as he wants until the next timing line, and even pass other cars.

NASCAR could institute a standard pit-road speed that would time drivers electronically – ensuring they could never exceed the limit under any circumstances – but that would take away pit-road passing opportunities that are generated through the pit stall selections. Teams choose their pit stalls based on qualifying order, so a good pit box is a result of a good qualifying effort.

Johnson said he’s not in favor of changing that rule, but simply releasing the speeds to all teams.

“It would be very easy to broadcast that signal – just like they do for timing and scoring – for all the teams to see,” Johnson said. “At that point, when it’s coming up live time, there’s no arguing it. In the black-and-white world we live in now, we’re all looking for that transparency. If I were them, I would believe it would be a smart move to make, just to eliminate this (controversy).

“If we have that data instantly, I think it would, one, be cool for the fans to have that information to digest and, two, it would eliminate people like myself on Sunday (feeling) so strong about what took place, making comments and in a way, probably harming our sport and the credibility of our sport.”

Johnson, who also aired his views via Twitter, said he wasn’t afraid of being fined by NASCAR for his comments (like Denny Hamlin was last year).

“I mean, if I gotta pay a fine, I’ll pay it,” Johnson said. “I feel like I’m entitled to my opinion – right or wrong. ... I just hope they put my money to good use.”

By calling attention to the lack of transparency with the pit road speeding issue, Johnson said he hoped NASCAR would realize the move could be beneficial for everyone.