NASCAR's final judge: Says 'no' to Carl Long's appeal

   By Mike Mulhern
   mikemulhern.net

   SONOMA, Calif.
  NASCAR's big stars arriving in this San Francisco suburb for Sunday's 350 got their first hit of news from Carl Long, whose final appeal to NASCAR over that record-breaking penalty didn't go very far.
   Charles Strang, appointed by NASCAR as the 'national commissioner,' with a role, seldom used, as final arbitrar in penalties, has upheld Long's record $200,000 fine, though cutting his suspension from 12 weeks to eight.
    The penalties, for Long having used an engine .17 of a cubic inch over the 358 c.i. max in a preliminary race to the Sprint Cup All-star race last month, have essentially put Long, a Cup crewman who races occasionally on the side, out of business.
   Fans, outraged at NASCAR's harsh stance on a minor penalty, and at NASCAR hitting so hard at one of the sport's smallest budget guys, have raised more than $16,000 for Long's penalty, mostly in very small $20 donations.
   An official NASCAR release with Strang's comments was not immediate available.
   And as of late Thursday evening, three days after Strang's decision, NASCAR officials had still not reponded to requests for comment on Strang's reasoning.