Fans help Carl Long

In the aftermath of the NASCAR appeal committee's refusal to reduce Carl Long's overly harsh penalty, fans have begun donating to a relief fund at CarlLong.com.

Our View: Long is not going to be a good fantasy value as an independent driver, but fans of dark horses should give whatever they can. Not that they are listening—but this sends a message of sort to NASCAR.

Long suspended for 12 weeks

NASCAR handed down one of their toughest penalties ever to a driver few have heard of. Carl Long has been docked 200 points, fined $200,000 and placed suspended for 12 weeks for a rule's violation at Charlotte during the All-Star weekend, according to NASCAR.com.

Our View: The infraction was for an oversized engine and NASCAR seems to be sending a very clear message. Luckily for them (not so much for Long), this did not happen to one of the marquee drivers.

For the record, this gives car owner Danielle Long -153 points.