Charlotte, N.C. ? NASCAR has not ruled out suspending drivers as a deterrent for cheating on the Car of Tomorrow.

Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were all docked 100 points when their cars failed recent inspections. Their crew chiefs were fined $100,000 and suspended six races a piece, but the drivers have been allowed to compete and all three are in contention for the Chase for the championship.

“We’d like not to get to (suspending drivers),” chairman Brian France said on a national conference call Tuesday. “We’d like to make the deterrent, a portion of the penalty, significant enough that that isn’t necessary for us to do.

“But are we willing to go there? Of course we would. We have in the past and we will in the future. We’re not hoping to do that. That’s sort of a death penalty.”