Updated: NASCAR President Mike Helton announced that after the incident under caution in the truck series race, driver Kyle Busch has been parked for the weekend at TMS. Michael McDowell will replace Busch for the Cup race and Denny Hamlin will be in today's Nationwide Series race.
Original post from Friday night:
Friday night Busch was involved with veteran driver Ron Hornaday in a truck series tussle that began with casual contact and ended with Busch turning Hornaday into the outside wall. All of that was telecast live nationwide on SPEED.
A post-race meeting on Friday night lasted only three minutes and it was clear Busch had been told to come back in the morning when all the top NASCAR officials would be at the track. He was not a happy camper.
A big TV highlight of the race was feisty SPEED pit reporter Ray Dunlap's interview with Busch after being parked by NASCAR. "So, did you just lose your mind for a few seconds there?" said Dunlap. A classic line lifted from the Trace Adkins NASCAR promo using old Busch footage of Kyle giving official the single-digit salute.
Wendy Venturini and Bob Dillner will be patrolling the TMS garage when SPEED comes on the air at 9:30AM Saturday morning for Sprint Cup Series practice. Steve Byrnes will be in the TV booth with Larry McReynolds and the one and only Kyle Petty.
Since the meeting will take place right before SPEED goes on the air, it should be interesting to watch Venturini and Dillner report the Busch meeting news and then have McReynolds and Petty comment on it.
Petty is not shy about sharing an opinion and McReynolds draws on his experience with drivers injured or worse in racing accidents when he says don't use your race car as a weapon. That is exactly what Busch did on Friday night live on TV.
We will use this post to keep you updated on the happenings from the track Saturday morning. As always, there is a full weekend schedule of NASCAR TV shows on the left side of the main page. Please feel free to add your comments on this topic as the Saturday NASCAR TV rolls by.
74 comments:
NASCAR can park Kyle Busch for the Cup race without parking the No. 18 car of JGR. Joe Gibbs is free to put another driver in the car.
I hope NASCAR does that. Joe Gibbs may see that as a penalty to him, but that's life. You have to take the bad with the good when you have Kyle Busch as one of your employees.
It looks like Joe still has a little work to do in the area of character building.
JD I posted this on your facebook page but feel I should on here to... Mind you I just got off work had a few so this is what it is but curious as to what you think.
JD you've known me for a long time and I was speechless when I saw this! I honestly dont know what to think about this im 50/50 pissed at him yet dont know if I should be cause I have to say no matter what Kyle Busch keeps it interesting! not sure what kind of reaction this comment will get but Kyle Busch reminds me of a cross between Tim Richmond and Dale Sr! He has the driving skills of Tim yet the fire of a Dale Sr What do you think?
my 50/50 comment also is for the question of should Nascar park him for Sunday's race? some of me wants to say yes yet some of me wants to say no cause had this happened 20 years ago it would of been delt with after the race, some newspapers would write about it the next day and that would be that... but in 2011 many complain how Nascar lacks passion and im a younger fan since 2004 i've heard a lot of stuff from old school fans how this isnt the Nascar of old.... Well you got what you asked for and then some so is this something that should be major or minor I dont know what do you all think????
Jonathon, you forgot the emotional maturity of Ricky Bobby.
Oh. Dear.
I did not see the race and did not know about this.
Oh dear.
Off Topic: RIP Andy Rooney
AncientRacer, if we're allowed to post links, here it is. I consider the most important issue to be that this happened under the caution.
http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/truck/story/_/id/7191803/kevin-harvick-texas-trucks-kyle-busch-wrecks-ron-hornaday-jr
Under Caution???? You mean, like last November at Texas when Jeff Burton speared Jeff Gordon?
I wonder what Kyle's punishment will be, if there is any. There are conflicting precedents: Harvick missed a Cup race for a Truck incident at much lower speed under green at Martinsville in 2002. But in the "Boys have at it" age, Carl Edwards sends Brad K airborne in Cup and gets probation. The meeting is right before practice, which would put Joe Gibbs in a bind were he to have to find a replacement driver. Hopefully, if Kyle is suspended (which, given that he drove a championship contender into the wall at speed under caution, is probably merited), Gibbs will find a deserving replacement to get a chance to drive a top level car like the 18.
I don't recall any penalties resulting from the Burton/Gordon incident. That was under caution too. Really out of character for Jeff Burton.
NA$CAR won't do anything but a
token slap on the wrist. The
die has been cast with other
drivers doing some of the same
things; i. e., the Edwards/BK incident and Bodines classless
behavior last week. Controversy
sells seats. "Boys have at it" has taken the place of "parked for showing your butt".
NA$CAR won't do anything but a
token slap on the wrist. The
die has been cast with other
drivers doing some of the same
things; i. e., the Edwards/BK incident and Bodines classless
behavior last week. Controversy
sells seats. "Boys have at it" has taken the place of "parked for showing your butt".
There have been a slew of incidents in addition to those mentioned here. Guililand was a player in two of them. I believe it was at Michigan where Montoya did something cute (imagine that?) and David hooked his left rear bumper and put him in the wall at about a buck eighty. Then there was the Glen where Labonte and bunch of guys hit the sand barrels at the beginning of pit road. Well McDowell did something Guililand didn't like, and David tried to wreck him. Given a few minutes, I'm sure I could come up with a few more. These incidents I just mentioned were under 'green'.
It is clear why hendrick kept Mears instead of Kyle. He did not want to babysit one of his drivers. Gibbs knew what they were getting.
I think the drivers are well aware that 'boys' only applies to certain circumstances. Certainly NOT caution laps. I think any actions will result because of what they believe the drivers should have already understood from what NASCAR has told them in driver's meetings & whatnot. It'll be interesting.
jd it looks like he ain't racing no more this weekend
Speed reports seeing seats changed in both N'wide and Cup cars.
ESPN hasnt mentioned the incident at all. Pretty surprising considering it may involve the suspension of a major driver.
Roland, it was mentioned on Sportscenter yesterday evening briefly.
Kyle Busch has been PARKED for the weekend!
Looks like Michael McDowell is the replacement.
Good grief......speed just left the news conference for no reason.
Well, McDowell gets a silver lining. Beats being a 'start and park'.
As much as I like Kyle Busch it is a fair penalty, though, inside, I think it a somewhat light one. Baby did a bad, bad thing.
Blaser-rama continues and I see that Mike Helton has joined the festivities with his own matching blazer. :)
Any word on who's going to drive the #66?
@anon, sorry I must have missed it.
Penalty fits the crime. Justice was served.
Good ruling by NASCAR. Great opportunity for Michael McDowell!
The 3 drivers I see up for parking the #66 Sunday would be Todd Bodine, Reed Sorenson or David Stremme.
SPEED mentioned quickly that Josh Wise would be in the 66.
as this is a tv blog, my only comment:
SPEED should not have pulled away from the Helton presser while questions were still being asked. the subsequent conversation that took place could -- and should -- have waited until Helton left the press conference.
I was wrong. Looks like NA$CAR
finally figured out they may
have some liability for allowing
this type of stupidity.
Can't figure why SPEED chose to
skip the remainder of the news conference to go to the talking
heads to repeat what has just been
said. Maybe since the Fox reporter
asked a question, they thought nothing else would be interesting.
I seriously doubt Kyle Busch is singing Loverboy this weekend...
Asked SPEED why they appeared to leave the press conf. early, waiting on an answer.
Might be on the air. Stay tuned.
I'm sure there will be another 516482346 replays of the incident. Johnny Chapman must be thrilled he finally made it on tv.
I got a call from a friend at the track. Said that Elvis badly wants to leave the building, but Coach has said "No" not until after JGR holds its presser and makes a statement.
Kyle Busch's talent isn't worth the baggage he brings to JGR. JGR should dump him, like HMS did once.
Dr. Jerry Punch interview with Joe Gibbs so much more informative than Speed's. Hard hitting questions asked and answered in a respectful manner.
Marsha - Iowa
Punch's interview was good, but why didn't he use the phrase "start and park" when talking about Michael McDowell's original plans for the weekend?
Mr Editor -
I've been a long-time Joe Gibbs fan, NFL, NHRA, etc, so I'll respect his decisions going forward ...just remember, he has experienced trying times before with Tony Stewart ...the nature of NASCAR's punishment is not out of line with previous penalties, but the the severity of Kyle's actions was clearly out-of-line under any circumstance ...no doubt, entire JGR organization at the track will lend a hand to Dave Rogers and #18 team and bring stability to Michael McDowell's effort ...for once, I'll be out-and-out pulling for the #18 this weekend
Walter
AncientRacer said...
Oh. Dear.
ROFLMAO
Punch fell into the same trap Fox does re outlawing the "lucky dog" phrase. Palmetto hit the nail on the head: remember this incident happened under caution so NA$CAR had to sit Kyle.
a quick comment on the clip I just saw that played up the Tony vs. Carl angle ...to keep in mind why Smoke chose #14 as his car number and who his 'hero' is - A.J. ...the Texas was never one to back down from a challenge and neither is Smoke ...and don't overlook the fusion coming about in recent weeks between Smoke and crew chief Darian Grubb, a lil' ole country boy from SW Virginia ...down here they usually finish what they start - engineering degree or no engineering degree
Casual viewer on Sunday will never know Kyle was parked. ESPN will probably mention his name more this Sunday than they would if he was racing.
Dale Jarrett was on fire when he was talking about Kyle during the opening of the show. Spot on DJ!
Waiting for the other shoe to drop... the M&M's one. If I remember correctly KyBu and sponsors had a little sit-down after the "unsportsman like conduct" incident. I've been a KyBu fan for a good while, but the young man needs to get a grip on things before he loses it all.
With ESPN's love of replay, I'm a bit surprised they haven't shown McDowell's fiery rollover crash at TX during practice several years ago.
From what I am hearing on Sirius/XM, it sounds like Joe Gibbs has a lot of ruffled feathers to smooth out. Reading between the lines, it sounds like there may be a considerable amount of flack from M&Ms coming.
MtnViewJay: That was qualifying in 2008.
As for the parking, well-deserved. I'm glad NASCAR showed no hypocrisy in parking him like they did with Harvick in 2002. Honestly, I see Kyle Busch's attitude similar to Shane Hmiel's, however, Kyle's been more successful.
New post is up for the NNS race today at noon ET on ESPN2.
People need to remember that Harvick's parking was mostly a result of showing up NASCAR and not from what he did on track.
Jay, SPEED sure did!
Larry Mac said the key elements for this decision were:
Incident happened under yellow.
Used truck as a weapon.
History between this driver and KHI.
Affected truck series championship.
New post is up for the live NNS race today from TMS.
I applaud NASCARs penalty to KB, he deserved it and much, much more.
I still think they (NASCAR) missed the ball at Atlanta when Carl deliberately crammed Brad Kes into the violent crash out of the dog-leg there. That was at speed, during the race, after he had went to the garage for repairs just to return to wreck Brad intentionally.
Point is, NASCAR MUST stop drivers from using their cars as weapons for retaliation or temper-tantrums! A three race suspension would be about right for such an offense. IMHO
I just read a report on sirius-speedway.com saying that Gibbs may extend the suspension.
A Store manager from some local
place that nobody ever heard of ?
And he gives the command ???
I give up. Goodnite nascar. Call me
if you NEED PUBLIC RELATIONS HELP.
I have been a Kyle Busch fan since I saw him in the garage at Las Vegas. Right now I am on the fence but I do agree with parking him now. I will probably be rooting for him next year if he can pull it together. Kid has serious maturity issues but he has so much talent. Everyone keeps pushing him to do more, win more, spend more. The thing that really makes me angry is the way his wife is being treated. Death threats! One jerk hinted that Kyle is a child molester and said Kyle staged last night to recreate the accident that killed Dale Sr. Email addresses for KBM employees were posted onlne. Maybe some fanatics out there need to be parked for the rest of the season.
Stats of note:
-Big Brother Kurt Busch was 26 years old when he won his 2004 Cup championship.
-Kyle is 26 years old this season and does have more than 100 career wins across all of the NASCAR national series.
But what do they REALLY mean? He has ONE NATIONWIDE title to his credit, but he hasn't been anywhere near the front in Cup.
His highest position in the final standings: fifth in 2007.
Until Kyle wins a CUP championship, his only legacy will be that of a petulant crybaby.
Do I think that Nascar made the right decision in parking Kyle for this weekend? yes, they did. this year, he's been after Hornaday in the truck races...if he has a problem with Happy...then he should deal with Happy. Not bringing in someone else.
Suspending him for the weekend is enough, and really its way more than what Carl did to Brad, and Brad's was a bit more dangerous.
If Coach decides to suspend him for a an additional race or so, that is the coach and the sponsor's perogative. This isn't the first time that Coach has had to deal with a hotheaded young man. Coach will do the right thing.
I really thought that Kyle was starting to mature, but I do hoope that he continues to make progress into becoming the champion that he can be..but he has to keep his head. Can't let the emotions get into the way of doing what you have to do, while yet not causing big accidents.
JD. Is this the extent of NASCAR's involvement? Tuesdays always have the fines and suspension and stuff. Seems like it should be a done deal, but.
Personally I think this is long overdue. Kyle, while one heck of a wheel man, has been involved in a LOT of incidents like this. Hornaday is a veteran unlike some of the other victims of Kyle the Krasher.
It is bad enough to wreck someone deliberately at a small track, at a high speed track like Texas, major or even fatal injuries could easily result.
FEDup - coach will do the right thing? Ha! Sorry I disagree with you. Most of the time, "coach" acts like he doesn't see the idiocy and havoc that his drivers create and it didn't start with KyBu. Tony showed his butt quite often and Hamlin wears a perpetual pout and acts like a jerk quite a bit and "coach" doesn't see anything until the sponsors get mad.
I do wonder what M&M's will say. Hard to market this kind of behaviour to kids.
Don't understand why Kyle wrecking Hornaday under caution was a big deal. Isn't that safer than wrecking him in front of the whole field?
Nascar dropped the ball on this one.
Too many times a guy has wrecked another guy on purpose and they didn't get this punishment.
I will always support Kyle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkHKYDVv6kw
There's Earnahrdt doing what he did best. No punishment for him ever
NASCAR once again shows us how consistently inconsistent it is.
Was it because of history between the two drivers?
Why wasn't Carl parked for a race or two after he put Keselowski in the air at Atlanta? That was far more dangerous.
Why wasn't Carl parked for a race or two after he deliberately hooked Keselowski at Gateway International Raceway? That was also far more dangerous and was in retaliation for a simple "bump and run" which is what stock car racing is all about.
I don't get it. Is it because it was under caution? List the drivers who've been parked for a race or two after wrecking someone after caution.
Affecting the championship? Where was NASCAR when Reutimann wrecked Kyle in the Chase when Kyle was actually leading in the points?
I'm not saying I condone what Kyle did but I'm not seeing anything in NASCAR's past decisions that warrant this punishment.
I really think it was for several reasons. First, yes, I'm sure they considered his past record, including his disrespect for NASCAR. They hate that. Earnhardt knew how to wreck, but he also respected Bill France and the powers that be. So perhaps Kyle was spoken to a number of times in the past and it didn't seem to change the behavior. At least not for long. 2nd, while one can say it was under caution, it was not Martinsville. Hornaday was still in the process of slowing down, plus someone (Hammond?) made the point that the field was coming up behind them & it could have caused bigger problems. Third--I do think they suspect that it was going after someone he has a history with--not just Hornaday, but Harvick. These are always judgement calls. I also agree, Carl ought to have been punished for the Atlanta thing. But someone *not* being punished doesn't justify not punishing someone else for an event that was quite different. They have a difficult job because drivers always find a way to do things that have never been done before. Overall, I think that first thing is the most important one. Last week after Chad spoke to NASCAR about the 'dega thing, his statement said he meant no disrespect. That's a big thing for them, that's why they nailed Harvick all those years ago.
I have had the opportunity in the past to deal with the M&M corporation on a professional level. The individuals I dealt with were from several different locations within the US and from several different disciplines within the M&M corporation. ALL of the M&M personnel I had the privilege to meet were some of the best and nicest people to work with that one could hope for . I am guessing that the way that these people presented themselves came from the overall M&M operating philosophy. And with that philosophy in mind, I am also guessing that KB is in deep chocolate as far as continued sponsorship from M&Ms is concerned.
There are other discussions about this and KyB might be parked for the rest of the season, I certainly wouldn't mind that. Guess his maturity took a turn for the worse last night. I liked Hornaday's comment too. Coach has a lot of damage control to do the next week or so and we'll see what happens.
geez...even with LSU/'bama we can't get away from NAPA know how.
I do wonder about M&M's. they've put up with a lot. So did Home Depot with Stewart, but they weren't selling candy. And they must be under contract & all...clauses? Conduct unbecoming?
Anon @ 5:03... What's so safe about turning a guy head on into the wall at over 100mph? I don't care if it's under green or under caution. You just don't do that. It's incredibly dangerous and reckless.
NASCAR finally made the right call for once. This should have happened to Carl Edwards last year as well.
Hopefully this "boys have at it" phase is coming to an end. It's led to several dangerous incidents.
I have to say that I find it difficult to reconcile Joe Gibbs persona as such a righteous man with the behavior of some of his drivers. Perhaps it isn't fair, but I can't help the way it seems to me. He should have more influence on his drivers, but I guess just trying to set an example from a distance doesn't seem to be working.
Sally...that is kind of the point. I'm sure Coach thought he could work with Kyle and make him a better man. I'm sure as a devout person he doesn't condone the behavior, but having worked with some tough characters over the years, he has probably learned to do the best he can with what he has. It's about not giving up on people. But when it comes to sponsors, sooner or later the you-know-what's gonna hit the fan.
OT (Saturday Night)
Looks like AncinetRacer is having a GWC at the LSU-Bama game
I think the punishment for Kyle is appropriate. However, it causes me to want to watch the race less. Kyle spices up the racing with his driving ability and I may not watch the race on Sunday. Kyle has not been as fun to watch with the chase "don't run to win but run not to lose" mentality. It has infected everyone but Tony.
I had also heard Texas was the "home" of Mars? I've never understood the M&M & KB sponsorship thing, He isn't someone who I would want my children (if I had any) looking up to (the taunting and disrespecting authority etc..)
I'm not a KB fan, but had some respect for his level of talent (I mean he can drive anything). I hope the fans leave his wife, team etc alone now. I posted a comment to him via Twitter because he basically said he was glad he did it (I think that is another reason for the penalty). Although I don't believe the apology, at least he sent it out.
I think KB is out of the Truck & NW races for the rest of the year for sure & cup because he doesn't want to have to deal with answering these questions the rest of the year.
I will not watch the cup race on sunday without KB. You can say what you want pro or con but KB is still the best and most fun to watch.
Stock car racing needs an independent governing body to make and enforce rules. Until that happens there will be no fairness in the sport(?) as a whole.
KB Fan
Most other sports leagues do not have independent appeals boards. NASCAR actually does, and once in a blue moon they overturn a penalty (Michael Waltrip won an appeal that he did not give the finger to another driver, was one that comes to mind.) It's the The National Stock Car Racing Commission. In Kyle's case, from what I read, they decided it was a penalty that could not be appealed. You agree to collect your paycheck within the league, be it NASCAR, the NFL, NBA, etc, you agree to play by their rules. That's the price you pay for being a multi-millionaire.
You know, there is nothing that happened at and on a race track that deserves the outrageous statements and threats being spewed out right now. This happened in an (un)controlled environment, it begins and ends with the participants. On the outside we all have emotions and opinions and have forever spoken with our wallets as to whether we support a sponsor, for whatever reason, but it ends there. It ends with NASCAR, JGR, M&M’s and KB. It doesn’t include threatening KB’s wife, that sort of thing is far more dangerous and outrageous than anything that happened at the race track.
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