NASCAR strips Sellers of victory

Andy Santerre Motorsports on Tuesday announced that its No. 44 of Peyton Sellers has been stripped of Saturday night's Camping World East Series An American Revolution 150 win at Greenville-Pickens Speedway. The win was instead given to Sellers' teammate, rookie Austin Dillon, who ran 2nd under the checkered flag.

NASCAR has not officially announced the penalties, though ASM said in a press release that Sellers would be credited with a last-place finish of 30th. He becomes the first driver in CWES history to have a win taken away.

"Needless to say we are shocked and disappointed," team owner Andy Santerre said. "We are being made an example."

NASCAR confiscated the shocks on Sellers' car following the event and took them to the sanctioning body's research and development center in Concord, N.C. Santerre admitted there was an infraction but said it was not intentional.

"We admit there was a rules infraction, it was a shock to us as much as it was unintentional and unknown prior to post-race inspection," Santerre said. "We conceded that and worked with NASCAR to make sure it was not found in any of the other shocks or on the second ASM car. It was not. We understood there would be ramifications, but to go against past precedent and take the win is disappointing."

Santerre said his team originally built the shocks before selling them to another team last year. At the end of the season they bought the shocks back and used them in a test sessions at Greenville-Pickens prior to the season opener.

Three of the shocks were changed prior to the race to enhance performance, but the one left on the car was the one confiscated by NASCAR.

Comments

[Andy B]

Another "unintentional" rules infraction. Nice to know there are still a few "honest" rule breakers out there.

Imagine, cheating, knowing you cheated, and then being suprised the win was taken away!!!

I guess Mr. Santerre was knapping when Mike Olsen had his win taken away a couple years ago at the Toyota Showdown event for illegal wheels.

[Ted Allen]

LOL-Couldn't happen to a sleazier guy. After Santerre stole Cansella's sponsorship from Sean Caisse, now he gets caught cheating. I, for one, LOVE IT! Santerre is a scam artist and he's being exposed. BTW, I have no love for Caisse or his Dad, but they hustled hard to get that sposorship and to watch Santerre ding Caisse and take on that Sellers kid then steal Cansella (idiots), I say SCREW YOU Andy!

[TB]

Ted, I'm guessing you'll forever be in the minority on that one... In fact, I've never heard anyone, anywhere ever say a bad word about Andy's character.

Caisse, for the record, was out searching for a ride at NASCAR's upper levels at the end of last season -- and that's why he's out of a ride, because Justin Marks offered Germain more money for the truck ride.

In fact, it was Casella that wasn't sure it wanted Caisse back in the ASM car.

[Ted Allen]

Sorry Trav, but I'll remain a monority; one that wil be right in the long run. I'm in the WM biz and I know plp inside Casella were being pressured by Santerre to drop Caisse. Was Caisse right to look for another higher level team? Nope. Was Santerre right to stuff him as he did? Absolutely not. Talk to some ppl about the manner in which he left Maine. Got out ahead of the posse in some cases.

[In the Know]

Andy,

You are correct, Olsen had his win taken away but it was in a NON points race, which is the distinction. He also had a chance to appeal the ruling which Santerre and ASM were not given. BTW, Santerre attended the appeals hearing in NYC on Olsen's behalf.

Ted,

The sponsor is Casella, not Cansella, which shows exactly how much you know about the situation and the events that took place at the end of last year.

You are welcome to your opinion, of course, but only when you have the facts correct, which you do not.