Title contender Greg Biffle questions if NASCAR's stance on rough driving will curb retaliations.

In fact, NASCAR's pledge to toughen its penalties for retaliations hasn't convinced many competing for the Nextel Cup title such actions will stop.

"In order to get it to stop, what they have to do is they have to say, 'If you retaliate on purpose, and we can tell that it was done blatantly to somebody, or spin somebody out on purpose, you will sit out the next week,' " Biffle said. "Then you have to answer to your car owner, you have to answer to the sponsor, you have to answer to all these folks why you're not racing.''

NASCAR fined Robby Gordon and Kasey Kahne 25 points, $25,000 and placed each on probation the rest of the year for attempting to wreck a competitor on purpose. Michael Waltrip, the object of Gordon's scorn, also was penalized for an inappropriate gesture. Gordon received a second reprimand for uttering a profanity during the TV broadcast.

A NASCAR official suggested after Sunday's race at New Hampshire International Speedway that a suspension was possible. No such action was taken.

"What makes you think it's going to stop, why would it stop,'' said Chad Knaus, crew chief for title contender Jimmie Johnson. "It's been like this forever. Do you guys not remember the [1979] Daytona 500? Bobby Allison and Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough [and their post-race fight]? Remember that? This has always been here. It will not go away. It will not stop."

The excitement began almost immediately Sunday. Scott Riggs got into defending series champ Kurt Busch on lap 2 and Busch wrecked. Busch exited his car and walked to Riggs' pit to complain to Riggs' crew chief.

After Kyle Busch got into Kahne, who wrecked, Kahne retaliated. He drove up the track in front of Kyle Busch during that caution and stopped in front of him. Later, contact with Waltrip sent Gordon into the wall after the caution was out for a crash behind them.

Gordon tried to ram his car into Waltrip's when it later drove by but failed. So, Gordon walked into the path of Waltrip's car and threw his helmet at it.

"The NASCAR race at Loudon looked like a cheap wrestling match to me,'' Biffle said

Yet, in each instance, the crowd rose and cheered. Title contender Mark Martin admits the action got his attention and his wife's.

"I don't like it, but to be honest with you, I watched the news when I got home to see what everybody said and to see what everybody did,'' he said. "My wife is a great indicator, she's not the biggest fan in the world, but she said that was the greatest race she'd seen all year because of all that stuff."

Notes

Robert Yates Racing announced Tuesday it has changed crew chiefs for both Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler.

Todd Parrott will leave his role as Sadler's crew chief to take the same position with Jarrett. Parrott replaces Bill Wilburn. The team has offered to reassign Wilburn, but he has not decided whether to stay. Kevin Buskirk, an engineer for Sadler's team, becomes Sadler's interim crew chief.