DeLong Censured by NASCAR : Saugus Driver Fined, Suspended Indefinitely for Role in Crash

A stock car driver who has admitted to deliberately making contact with the car of another driver, triggering a fiery crash Saturday night at Saugus Speedway, has been fined $500 and suspended indefinitely by NASCAR officials, NASCAR spokesman Owen Kearns Jr. said Friday.

Richard DeLong Sr. of Castaic also has been placed on probation for the remainder of the season, Kearns said, for his involvement in a collision with the car driven by Chuck Pittenger of Northridge in the 15-lap semi-main event of the NASCAR Southwest Tour program.

Kearns would not speculate on the length of the suspension but said that NASCAR will continue to review the case.

“We’ve had people who have been suspended indefinitely reinstated,” he said. “And some have never been reinstated. It’s hard to say.”

No action was taken against Pittenger, who was not hurt in the crash.

DeLong, 52, who suffered a broken left foot and minor burns, said this week that he attempted to “spin out” Pittenger, who, DeLong claimed, had caused him to spin out two laps earlier. DeLong said that he probably will appeal the suspension.

According to NASCAR rules, an appeal must be filed within 10 days with the National Stock Car Commission.

“It upsets me a little that all the facts weren’t taken into consideration,” DeLong said. “I don’t feel that (NASCAR) has all the knowledge and all the facts. I should be punished. But he should be punished too.”

DeLong claimed that Pittenger had deliberately bumped his car earlier in the race while making a pass in Turn 2. DeLong, who spun into the infield and out of a chance to qualify for that evening’s 125-lap main event, said he likely will provide NASCAR with a videotape of the race to support his claim.

“They should look at his car more carefully,” DeLong said. “That incident should not be overlooked.”

Pittenger, 44, who was not penalized by track officials for the pass, admitted to making contact with DeLong but said he was not at fault.

“I guess this (decision) means that they found something wrong with what he did and not with what I did,” Pittenger said.

Pittenger, who entered the evening second in the Southwest Tour points standings, was in second place and challenging for the lead entering Turn 3 of Lap 12. But DeLong, a part-time tour competitor, appeared to make contact with the rear of Pittenger’s car and sent both vehicles slamming into the wall in flames.

DeLong, who said Monday that he regretted the crash but not his intentions, conceded that he might have acted out of anger.

“Sure, I regret it,” he said. “If I had it to do all over again, I would have pulled into the infield and had the officials look at my right front tire. It had his orange paint all over it. He did enough to take me out and bend a wheel.

“Except for the way it turned out, what I did is no worse than what he did. If the officials had been on top of things, this wouldn’t have happened.”

DeLong, who said that his foot will be in a cast for four weeks, did not rule out returning to racing this season. Pittenger, who intends to compete in today’s Southwest Tour race in Madera, considers the matter closed.

“Whatever they’ve decided is fine with me,” he said. “I’m done. I’m not going to do anything else. But my car owner is not too happy about the damage.”

Pittenger said that the car sustained body, frame and wheel damage, as well as fire damage to its wiring.

Chuck Phillips of Palmdale, owner of the car Pittenger drives, could not be reached for comment.