Let's hope NASCAR puts its regulatory muscle where its mouth is this week.
It doesn't matter what happened on the track between Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch during Monday's Autism Speaks 400.
I don't care whether you believe the wreck that put Busch into the wall and also damaged Stewart's car was Busch's fault, Stewart's fault or equally stubborn behavior on both their parts.
Silly stuff like that happens in NASCAR racing. Two guys get angry with each other and start banging sheet metal until at least one of them winds up tangential to his intended path. They get mad, pop off after climbing out of their cars, and then the next week reporters ask them if they've "talked it out."
NASCAR doesn't need to get overly active in officiating this stuff. It usually takes care of itself and the people doing it inflict their own penalties on each other. Sometimes there are innocent parties involved, and when that happens the sanctioning body might have to take a few punitive measures.
But when a driver goes onto pit road and pulls the kind of stunt Busch did on Monday, NASCAR needs to act -- swiftly and effectively.
Busch pulled alongside Stewart's Chevrolet on pit road and forced one of Stewart's crew members to literally jump out of the way. Now if that crew member hadn't seen Busch coming, you'd like to think that Busch wouldn't have gone ahead and nudged up against Stewart's car anyway, sandwiching a human being in as "collateral damage." But you're not sure, are you?
NASCAR, correctly, parked Busch's No. 2 Dodge for the remainder of Monday's race.
That's a start. Busch will be fined, undoubtedly. But I'm not sure NASCAR will dock him any points. The officials could say that putting Busch in the garage and dooming him to a 42nd-place finish at Dover effectively acts as a points penalty in and of itself.
But NASCAR talks all it can about safety. It requires crew members to wear fire suits and protective helmets on pit road, but those offer scant protection from a guy coming at them with A CAR!
Parked would be a good place for Busch's car again this weekend at Pocono. NASCAR hasn't seemed willing to send a cheater's car home, but maybe it will finally draw a line when the issue is safety and not the rule book.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Kurt Busch went too far
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
35 comments:
While parking Busch sounded like a tough punishment, he ended up finishing, what 42nd? By the time his crew would have fixed his car, and if he could've kept running, he probably would have finished around where Stewart did, say 39th or 40th. That would mean basically a 6 to 9 point penalty. To a well-funded team, that's meaningless.
A fine means nothing to these guys, you'd have to go into the mid six-figures before they'd begin to notice.
Probation wouldn't do anything, because eventually probation expires and then he has the green light to run somebody over again.
Even a 25 to 50 point penalty wouldn't mean that much. NASCAR has to set the penalty so ridiculously high that nobody even thinks about doing anything like this again.
Sit him out for two races, and let him know that the next bit of nonsense like this means he's done for the year.
It would free up a spot on the starting grid for people that have respect for the sport and their fellow competitors.
He needs his big ears pinned back by FranceCar!
If Penske was really a smart man he would park him for good - Roush did !!
sivqtitMany predicted that Kurt's 'reformation' wouldn't last. Guess they were right. If deliberately endangering a crew member on pit road doesn't warrant being parked for at least one race, then Nascar better not tell us how concerned they are about safety. I wonder if Roger Penske is thinking of 'officially retiring as Kurt Busch's apologist'?
Though what Kurt Bush did was wrong, it's interesting to see the backlash he's receiving compared to other well known drivers. It's not the first incident on pit road and won't be the last. Be it if you're driving down pit road at 143 mph or deliberately getting into another competitor, Nascar hasn't done anything before so why start now. To all the Busch bashers, I'm personally not his fan, do research what your driver has done before you throw the first stone.
HE IS A SMART ALECK JERK !!!!!!!!!
I agree Kurt Busch is out of hand. We need more rules! We should have a first on, first off rule on pit row. None of these very unsafe pit stops. All drivers should be required to wave and smile at anyone they pass. These cars also need turn signals and we need some lanes on the track. All drivers should be required to take a 5 minute break after 1 hour behind the wheel. We also need mufflers on these cars. I'm sure the loud noise causes hearing loss in thousands of fans each year. And that smoke from burnouts can't be good for you. There has to be some scientific study on that. And those high speeds are dangerous. I think the cars should be limited to a maximum of 55 mph, maybe 60. The insurance companies can help us determine what speeds are safest. As far as driver emotion, there is technology available that would allow all cars to be computer controlled. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure those guys aren't already robots. What's with the sunglasses thing anyway? Let's all work together to make this sport as safe as possible.
Park him. At LEAST one race. That's the only thing that will get his, and the other drivers attention. They parked Harvick at Martinsville a few years back for a lot less in a truck race.
In addition, I'd like to commend they crew guys on the 20. Given the cricumstances, I thought they showed great restraint. I was listening to some of the other crews on trackpass, and I don't think they would have been so "nice". (Something about beating his @$$...)
Hey Busch Haters, you can park him, you can take him out of the Chase, but one day he will be back. And guess what, Tony's gonna make the chase, and who knows what'll happen, maybe Tony will be running along side Kurt at Loudon or Homestead, just a few points back of Gordon or Jimmie...and 'whoops Tony's spinning into the wall..." buh bye Championship number three.
RETALIATION is a beautiful thing...see you whining in the post race Smoke....
Guys like Poole and Moody love to complain that NASCAR is losing the drama, the villains etc. Well, here's Kurt being, mad and being human, but no let's just park him...I'll be laughing when Tony spins...then we can all enjoy the whining...
^^^^ Hey look we found Kurt Bush's fan!!!
With an attitude like that is there any wonder Kurt and Kyle were so roundly booed at the Allstar race when they crashed each other out?
Hmmmmm, what a lovely incident. I saw two guys racing each other hard for position, Tony doesn't give up position easily even when his car is going away as it most certainly was yesterday. Tony has always been a bit hypocritical about "give and take". That said, Busch did not have him cleared when he went up the track and you have the result, no fault on the racing incident.
Busch's actions in pit row definitely were bone headed and stupid, I don't think he would have hit the crew man from the #20 but he came awful close. He pulled a similar stunt at Michigan in 2003 after the race in front of Spencer;s hauler and got punched in the face for it. Spencer got parked for defending himself and got parked which was a bad call by NASCAR. That said, I don't beleive Busch should be parked. Unless he had actually hit the crew member or committed a much more serious infraction, I don't believe a driver should ever be suspended for a race. Cash, Points and probation will be sufficient. Instead of parking just penalize him the equivalent number of points (around 170).
I liked Kurt back when he was with Roush and have defended him a lot to other race fans for 4 or 5 years. I'm done defending the guy. He talks the talk but he never walks the walk. He talks about learning from past mistakes but every 3-4 months he does something to show he really has learned nothing. Nascar should park him for Pocono.
Kurt Busch should be suspended the rest of the season. He could have killed that young person - then he would be up for manslaughter... not suspension.
Want to send a strong signal to the drivers that this sort of stupidity and lack of care for safety will not be tolerated? Park him for the season minimum, 1 million dollar fine and forfeiture of all owner and driver points.
No Crew Chief suspension, it was the bonhead in the car at fault not his crew chief. It\\\'s time for NASCAR to get serious or it really will be looked upon as Stewart said, the WWE of motor\\\'sports\\\'.
We all hear week after week, the talking TV heads, declaring the talent of the Busch brothers. While I cannot dipute the talent of the sibblings, I have always questioned their judgment. Evidently these silver spoon fed brothers never had to repair their own cars, as they always had Daddy to do it for them,,,,Maybe their owners should make them spend a little time in the shop, heaven knows they have provided plenty of work for the body and chassis shops this year
I am a long time and very stubborn KB fan, but I agree NA$CAR needs to suspend him, (NOT the car), for a week.
Nothing hurts a driver more than to see someone else drive his car.
As for Fat Tony, apparently he can do whatever he wants on the track, and it is always the other guy's fault. What a head case.
I'm not defending what Kurt Busch did, but Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards have both spun out other cars on pit road and neither of them were parked for a week like they should have been.
Tony's not hypocritical about give and take. Everyone else is supposed to give and he takes.
It is one thing when you get two immature hotheads crashing each other on the racetrack, but you have to draw the line when you jeopardize the people in the pits. NASCAR has no choice but to park Kurt for a race.
On a side note, if you look at the races last where Tony lost his temper and ended up hurting his car, you will find out that him missing the chase was not from bad luck...it was from bad temper.
Let's get serious here! If he'd hit and killed the crew member Kurt would be spending a few years in jail for vehicular homocide. This is far from the first Kurt incident. If I was the decision maker Kurt would never race again. If Roger Penske wants his name kept clean he should distance himself from this child who can't control his temper. Tony is certainly no saint, but the on track was racing. Pit lane could be considered attempted murder! Enough is enough!
NASCAR overreacted. Busch is a professional driver who has enough skill not to run over Stewart's guy. Especially when he was going slowly. Stewart however, wrecked (intentionally or not)Busch and then goosed it to give him one more shot. All of this at 130MPH. Stewart should get the same penalty.
Kurt Busch is f*cking lucky that he didn't kill someone yesterday because of his stupidity. Almost f*cking killed somebody. He is a former NASCAR champion, and this is no way, no way, to represent the sport of auto racing. He should be ashamed of himself.
If NASCAR can take away twenty-five points for cursing on live TV, or take away a hundred points and make a crew chief sit six races for a puny spoiler mount... then NASCAR needs to do the right thing here. NASCAR needs to park Kurt Busch for four to six races, fine him five hundred driver points, and fine the #2 team five hundred car owner points. Not only that, but Kurt Busch needs to be fined at least $5 million... which should go directly into a trust fund for pit road members and their families who have been injured on pit road.
NASCAR lets a lot of sh*t slide with slaps on the wrist. They can't be p*ssies about this Kurt Busch situation. This kind of sh*t does NOT need to happen again.
THE BUSCH BROTHERS ARE BOTH NUTS! KURT SHOULD BE PARKED! KYLE SENT BACK TO DRIVERS ED! We should start a national online petition called Busch Whack the Busch Brothers... or something cuz I would be the first on that list find me on myspace same name...
Get a life, you are nothing but another liberal cry baby.
Tony has been an A$$ this year as well as in years past, it is time NASCAR grew a set of balls and did something about Tony and his out of control attitude.
As for the crew man, maybe Tony should think of their safety be for he goes acting like the little boy he acts like on the race track.
Racing is not a safe sport for anyone involved, and if these pit crew members on todays teams are to much of a bunch of wussies then maybe they should find another line of work.
NASCAR pit crews are not the only ones exposed to dangerous situations involving moving automobiles, hell look at the police making traffic stops they are exposed to cars running 100+ MPH while they are dealing with another driver on the side of the road. There are no pit road speed limits to protect them and yet you never hear police officers crying about the danger.
You need to step back out of your NASCAR fantasy land and find out about real life again!
That was a bonehead mood. They should have given a DNF.He should be banned for the rest of the season or worse fired.
Maybe NASCAR should park Kurt Busch for one race like they did to Kevin Harvick a few years ago... It seemed like it worked for Harvick.
Just park him and the team. 1 race = basically out of the chase. That's a big hit.
If Dale Jr's team get's 100 pts and Tony Jr get 6 races for an un-approved wing bracket, then Kurt and his team needs to sit for a week....
Robby Gordon was right. Jimmy Spencer should've punched Kurt harder.
I am in no way a Tony Stewart fan but the wreck Monday was Kurt Busch's fault. The thing is.......no matter whose fault it was that a stupid thing for Kurt to do. NASCAR should park him for at least one race. If they do maybe other drivers will get the hint.
I have to disagree with the sitting out thing. I think NASCAR was built on rivalries like these, it just doesn't need to happen on pit road. I think he should be docked somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 points and get back to racing. Surely he and Stewart will access each other another "penalty" before the season is over. And let's be honest, isn't that what made NASCAR so exciting to begin with?
I think you are all nuts.
Rock on Bush Brothers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your like Paris Hilton. Any news is good news!!!!!!!!!
Leaving kurt busch's somewhat checkered history aside ( I don't mean his wins either)..putting anyone in harm's way on pit roadespecially with a 3400 lb. race car is inexcusable....this applies to not only Kurt but anyone from Jeff Gordon to Morgan Shepherd....Patking him at Dover didn't cost him much he would have finished at the back anyway with a wrecked car....He needs to sit out Pocono .....Harvick sat for the scrap on Pit road and that was just some pushing and shoving.. The message to Mr. Busch should at least be equal if not more than that....3 would be better
NASCAR has for some reason never known how to properly deal with bullies. Parking Kurt Busch at Dover was acedemic and they've essentially let him get away with things for years.
maybe penske should do what roush did. susan
I think people need to look at this objectively. There seems to be a lot of KB apologists out there willing to grant him a pass on his pit road actions, all because it involved the 20 team. What happened on the track was hard, close racing. Maybe it was a bad call by the spotter. Whatever it was, those things happen in racing. What happened on pit road was inexcusable. If I were NASCAR, Busch would be done for the season. If I were Penske, Busch be unemployed. If I was the 20's jackman, I probably would have put my jack or whatever else I could have grabbed through the 2's side window net before he left. After the way NASCAR punsihed Tony Jr., they have no choice but to issue a multi-race suspension, 6 figure fine, and 3 figure points deduction.
blooze, I haven't seen many Kurt Busch apologists semi-defending the pit road incident.
Post a Comment