Mr. Helton, others in the big NASCAR official mobile office, the ball is in your court, or more appropriately, the wheel is in your hands. Kyle Busch is on PROBATION. It has already been asked many times how NASCAR defines probation. It is time you step up and offer your definition. Kyle Busch is on probation by your own ruling. Also, by your own ruling, that probation includes all THREE series in which Mr. Busch chooses to participate. Yet, he runs into a fellow competitor AFTER the checked flag in the truck race simply because he was beaten by the youngster for fifth place. NOT THE WIN, mind you, but fifth place. What say you now, Mr. Helton, NASCAR, or whomever in that organization makes the rulings on such behavior. Does this qualify as a probation violation? If not, what does? Is it necessary Mr. Busch kill someone on the track, the highway, the garage area, or in a parking lot somewhere before NASCAR is able to determine the definition of probation.
I agree there are two sides to every story. While I do not condone Richard Childress taking matters into his own hands (fists) you have to applaud the thought process of the man from RCR when he realized that it is highly unlikely NASCAR would take any action against the Candy Man while another RCR vehicle suffered damage from the immature actions of the brat from Las Vegas. Richard has been around enough to know that NASCAR sees things in their own way and would let the incident pass in an effort to garner maximum publicity. Look back to the days of the black number 3. Look at the things Dale got away with that many other drivers would have been penalized for. Richard knows the game first hand.
Many say, and it is apparently so, rivalry is good for the sport. I agree to the extent the Petty-Pearson rivalry was great, the D.W. - Cale rivalry was good, and the Bobby Allison rivalry with everyone else was also an attention getter for the sport. But, with the exception of the 1979 Daytona 500 there was no real "showing out" other than on the track. Other than the 1976 Daytona 500, I do not recall Petty and Pearson being involved in an accident or taking it out on each other AFTER the flag. I don't really recall Cale and D.W. having a real altercation that did not involve excessive lip-flapping on the part of D.W. While Bobby and Richard and Bobby and several others bashed it out on the track, I don't recall other than fierce competition being the motive. With Candy Man you have a situation when his maturity level is called into question almost weekly. You have a guy who has no control over his behaviour, much like he had no control over his car twice in the 600 last week. He is a good driver and he proves that over and over, but there are many times when it is the other drivers who make him look good. Some of these miracle moves he makes, as D.W. like to brag about, would not happen without the other drivers giving him room. I very vividly recall two of those "awesome moves" being successful ONLY because Jeff Gordon was accommodating enough to give him room.
But I'm not writing this to discuss Kyle's driving ability. I'm only writing it out of the continuing frustration of seeing someone who desparately needs therapy being babied into stardom by NASCAR and Joe Gibbes. I have great respect for Coach Gibbes, but if he can't rein in Kyle Busch, he needs to dispatch him to another league. Surely it must be an embarrassment to Coach Gibbes, M&Ms, and, yes, even Toyota, to continually generate publicity from the inane actions of someone more deserving of a straight jacket than a firesuit.
Tim
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What a change! It's been awhile since I've checked in and I'm quite surprised. It may take me awhile to figure it our but first look it's really great.
updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM