July 2, 2009
By Doug Demmons
When NASCAR issued an indefinite suspension of Nationwide crew chief Bryan Berry it was hailed as a new zero-tolerance posture by NASCAR toward anything even remotely smacking of racial discrimination.
Berry committed the unpardonable sin of uttering a racial slur on his way to the garage to confront black driver Marc Davis. Berry was mad because Davis just had a run-in on pit road at Nashville Superspeedway with Berry’s driver, Brendan Gaughan.
The racial slur he used was never specified but we can all guess what it probably was.
NASCAR’s response -- especially in light of the racial discrimination lawsuit it settled this year with a former official -- was seen as swift and appropriate.
Except that on Tuesday NASCAR lifted the indefinite suspension effective July 7. Berry remains on probation and will also have to perform community service work as directed by NASCAR.
NASCAR’s press release about this was all of two paragraphs long and did not offer any further explanation. It doesn’t say whether this is the result of some sort of agreement with Berry and his team -- Rusty Wallace Racing.
If that’s the case, then it is a reversal of course for Berry and his team.
"Bryan looked me in the eye and told me he didn't say it," Wallace said when the suspension was announced. "But NASCAR said they had two people, two sponsorship representatives (for the Davis team) who heard it. I don't know who to believe."
So perhaps Berry’s recollection of what he said has now changed. Or maybe they just decided that an indefinite suspension and the extremely negative public image that was painted because of this could not be tolerated.
In this time of dwindling corporate sponsorships, what companies are going to want to sign on as sponsors with a team that has a crew chief on suspension for throwing racial slurs around?
Answer: None.
Berry is basically lucky he still has a job. If I used racial slurs in the course of my work at The Birmingham News you can bet I’d be in the unemployment line pronto.
But apparently Berry is going to get another chance. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Let’s hope he makes the most of it and learns a few lessons.
- Lesson No. 1
-- You can express your anger toward another driver’s dumb mistake that wrecks your driver without resorting to racial insults. How about something like this: “You moron! Did you learn to drive at Wal-Mart?!?! My grandmother drives better than you.”
See? How hard is that?
- Lesson No. 2
-- This is 2009, not 1969. Nobody is going to shrug off racism. The world has changed and those still living in the past can either change with it or go hide in their backyard bunkers.
- Lesson No. 3
-- If there is any sport that needs to crack down mercilessly on racial harassment it is NASCAR. This is a sport where the Confederate battle flag still flies proudly at infield camp sites.
If people want to fly that flag they have that right in America and I’m sure not going to advocate taking that away from them. Freedom of speech means sometimes you have to put up with obnoxious speech from your fellow citizens.
But it means that NASCAR has to have a special sensitivity to this issue and has to make sure to get the message across that the garage is not a club where good ole boys can run their mouths. Corporate America in particular and the American public in general expect professional behavior from those who have the privilege of working in this sport. Anyone who can’t live by that standard needs to find another line of work.
Let’s also hope that Berry learns the lost important lesson from this episode -- that racial slurs are extremely hurtful to the people they are directed at. Let’s hope that his “community service” also includes a public apology to the NASCAR community and private apologies to Davis and those who heard the slurs.
If Berry learns those lessons, then he deserves another chance.
I’m sure it’s tempting for many to just banish people like Berry from the garage forever. But racial attitudes don’t change that way. Racism goes away when those who practice it are admonished but also given the chance to grow beyond it, and when its victims are able and willing to extend the healing hand of forgiveness.
Doug Demmons is a writer and editor for the Birmingham News ~ he writes daily and weekly auto racing columns ranging from NASCAR to open wheel to Formula One, local tracks and more... you can read Doug's columns online at Blog of Tommorow
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
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