Dropping the hammer

FONTANA, Calif. – It's about damn time.

While I've often criticized NASCAR for some of the moves it makes, I have to applaud the sanctioning body for what is potentially shaping up to be an unprecedented new get-tough policy for rules breakers.

Coming down fast and hard on rules violators is long overdue, and it's refreshing to see that NASCAR is getting serious with everything from cheating to drug use.

Friday's lifetime ban of Shane Hmiel for reportedly failing a drug test during a two-year suspension for previous drug-related infractions comes on the heels of the four-race suspension and $25,000 fine assessed to Chad Knaus for intentionally trying to circumvent rules for Jimmie Johnson's qualifying attempt at the Daytona 500.

"We're coming down harder all the time," said NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton. "Even last year, we thought we were sending a message by ejection immediately."

Kevin Harvick's crew chief Todd Berrier was hit with such a punishment last year.

"So if we thought that message didn't get across enough, then [comes] ejection immediately and adding a race and adding more money to it [like the way Chad Knaus was penalized]. If you look at how we handled it, we escalate not every time but nearly every time."

And that escalation is the key.

"If you look at a similar penalty last October at Talladega with Todd Berrier ... his fine was ejection for two races and $10,000," Pemberton said. "This [Knaus' case] was ejection for four races and $25,000. So for those that judge us unfairly to think we didn't do more, we did do more."

Add in the fine and points reduction to Hall of Fame Racing for an unapproved carburetor in the 500, plus additional assessments against several Craftsman Truck Series teams for violations last week in Daytona, and it's clear NASCAR is going to be very stingy when it comes to cutting anyone breaks from here on out.

"I think it's debatable whether losing your crew chief for four or five races is better or worse than the 25-point penalty," Pemberton said. "People can relate to a penalty; people have a hard time relating to a bad call on pit road, whether it costs you one spot or 10 spots on the race track. At the end of this four weeks [of Knaus' suspension], we can look back and see in what way it worked out."

NASCAR hopefully is establishing a new precedent that will not only rid the sanctioning body of the antiquated "that's the way it's always been" mindset, but also help eliminate things like comparisons to professional wrestling and claims that the sport is tainted or rigged.

Perhaps the best aspect of the new get-tough policy – if it indeed is a conscious decision on NASCAR's part to get tough – is that rules on the books will hopefully and finally be equally and effectively enforced instead of the wink-wink, nudge-nudge way of rule enforcement – or lack thereof – that has marked NASCAR's history.

We've already beaten the whole Knaus cheating affair into the ground over the last week or so, but Friday's turn of events in Hmiel's case caught a lot of people by surprise – myself included.

While I certainly don't condone his drug use, you can't help but feel sorry for Hmiel. With the talent and potential he possessed at the age of 25, Hmiel had a long and successful career ahead of him, only to lose it all. Any hope that Hmiel held out to return to racing in 2007 has evaporated.

It's hard to imagine how he's feeling now, knowing that the career path he planned on pursuing has quickly and decisively been taken away from him, having to reflect upon what might have been if he hadn't been so stupid.

Although I was quite hard on Hmiel when he was suspended last year, I have to admit I hoped he would kick his problem. I wanted to see him serve his suspension, get significant help for whatever it was that had such a grip on him and eventually make a successful return to both his personal and racing lives.

But despite the tough emotions attached to Hmiel's story, NASCAR did what it had to do.

To use a well-worn saying, life is all about lessons taught and lessons learned. Hmiel and Knaus have learned some very valuable lessons; they now know it's better to walk the line rather than be hung by it.

Hopefully others have taken notice of the examples NASCAR made of them and will think twice before pushing the envelope themselves. But for now, NASCAR will continue to penalize just those who commit the infraction and not the surrounding cast.

In other words, a team's driver, owner or crew members won't be targeted by NASCAR if the crew chief is caught cheating.

"The people that voice their opinion of ejecting or sending the whole team home are generally fans of other teams," Pemberton said. "Everybody weighs in, as long as it's not their guy. When we listen to those things, we chuckle about it. But I think we owe it to the sponsor; the sponsor shouldn't have to pay the price – they're already paying the price for all the negative things that are said, the publicity and everything."

NASCAR is putting more bite into its bark. And if chairman Brian France truly wants to make this the biggest sport in the country, not only will its participants have to play by the rules, but it'll also be up to the sanctioning body to enforce its rules, as well, as it has done lately.

Let's just hope it continues.