June 14, 2009
By Kim Roberson
Kim Roberson
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This has been one of those weeks where you need a score card to keep track of just what happened. It has only been a week since the race in Pocono, and yet we have had a month’s worth of storylines happen, and they are all worthy of their own focus.
I could go on about the Jeremy Mayfield drug story or Johnny Benson losing his truck ride, but here is what has bothered me the most this week.
Last weekend we had two separate incidents happen after the Nationwide race that set my teeth on edge. The first of those was the guitar smashing incident that Kyle Busch felt the need to initiate. I know a lot has been talked about on this topic, but this is my two cents worth…take it for what you please.
The intent was a good one. Busch has been criticized roundly for the way he treats his teams. He talks down to them when they don’t perform up to his liking, and he has, on more than one occasion, parked an ill-finishing car in a location where they have to hike to go retrieve it. The fact that he wanted to share his win last week in Nashville was a nice change from the ordinary.
However, smashing a one-of-a kind, hand painted Gibson Les Paul guitar is not the way to do that. The fact that he knew he was going to do it well in advance and didn’t forewarn anyone also doesn’t help. And the fact that the person who designed and painted the guitar was not asked if he was OK with it…and was quite obviously NOT OK with it (nor were some other race sponsors, who reportedly walked out of Pit Lane after the incident) just adds more to the issue.
There were plenty of other ways for Kyle to celebrate that win with the guys on his team. Buying them something to commemorate it…perhaps a smaller version of the guitar for a shelf or desk, or, if dividing up that trophy was so necessary, taking it back and cutting it up out of the sight of the fans, race sponsors, and artist. But to not even look at the trophy before raising it up and trying to smash it. And when that didn’t work, doing it a second time. And then not even taking it back to his team but just tossing it on the ground for someone else to pick up for him.
Bad, bad, bad idea Kyle.
What could have been a very positive PR move on Kyle’s part instead turned into yet another PR nightmare for him. He blamed it on the fact that he was only a “24-year old kid” and that while he realizes he should probably grow up, he just isn’t ready yet.
Another bad thing to bring up, Kyle. You have been in the sport for 6 years. You have been playing with the big boys for four years. You are no longer the youngest person racing in Cup. Joey Logano now makes you look old.
And yet somehow, Joey, at just barely 19, exudes a ton more maturity than Kyle does. He is contrite when he causes problems, and respectful of his elders. Neither of which Kyle seems to be.
When discussing his lack of remorse for his effort with the guitar on Friday, Kyle decided to stir the pot up yet again by taking a poke at Dale Earnhardt Junior’s fan base. "A lot of people hated it, and I guess those are the ones with 88s tattooed on their arm. Or maybe still 8s. I've got no issues with Junior -- it's his fans that are crazy. But that's all right."
Kyle claims he is just trying to make the sport “not so vanilla”. I think vanilla was left behind a long time ago with Kyle. He’s also gone past chocolate, strawberry, and apparently is now gnawing on Rocky Road.
Now, on to the second issue I have from last weekend’s Nationwide race. This week, NASCAR suspended Bryan Berry, crew chief for the Rusty Wallace Racing #62 Chevrolet driven by Brendan Gaughan. He was suspended, not for something he did with the car, but for something he said to another driver after a pit road incident between Brendan and driver Marc Davis.
I can totally understand Brendan’s frustration at being caught up in a totally avoidable accident. For those who missed it, Gaughan was following Davis down pit road during green flag pit stops. But Davis wasn’t going in for a pit stop, he was going to the garage, and stopped to make the hard left turn directly in front of the 62 pit stall. Brendan, who had no idea what Davis had planned, ended up plowing into the back of the #10 Howard University car as it came to a virtual stop and Brendan angled into his pit stall.
Gaughan was understandably angry, and called out on his radio that he didn’t want Davis to leave the infield until he had had a chance to speak with him after the race. “He’s not leaving the track until he sees me!”
Instead of just letting the anger work itself out, apparently Berry took it upon himself to confront Davis back in the garage.
The story is that Berry walked up to the window of Davis’ car and started yelling at him…including the alleged use of the “N” word.
Marc Davis is black. I am not going to spell out the word, but I am pretty sure you can put 2 and 2 together on this one.
Now, I have no idea whether Berry actually said what he has been accused of saying. He reportedly looked his boss, Rusty Wallace, in the eye and swore he didn’t. From everything I have heard Bryan Berry is a great guy.
However, I will say this: in this day and age, there is no room for the use of the “N” word, regardless of the situation.
Yes, I understand the good old boy roots of NASCAR, and the southern heritage that comes with it. However, this is not that sport any more. We have men and women from all walks of life, from all parts of the world competing against each other. NASCAR has set up the “Drive for Diversity” program to help young men and women from different ethnic backgrounds get a start in the sport.
In my mind, racial slurs, regardless of who uses them or who they are aimed at, have no place in this arena.
I also had a problem with how Gaughan, who attended Georgetown University, slammed Davis and his sponsor, Howard University, during and after the race during his interview with ESPN.
Both universities are located in Washington DC. Howard is a predominantly black university…Georgetown is not.
“You find me that dumb wannabe college graduate!” Gaughan yelled into his radio immediately after the crash.
OK, the adrenaline was pumping and he was angry. I can understand that. However, post race, he continued his attack on the education level of Davis and his crew.
“Apparently you get a better education at Georgetown than at Howard University” he said to Jamie Little when she asked about his thoughts on the crash. He then continued "I don't know if his crew chief’s dumb, he’s dumb, or his spotter is dumb, but in the middle of the race when you end up turning left while people are coming onto pit road for green-flag pit stops is asinine. I mean, maybe he needs to look that word up, I don’t know.”
I am just a little shocked by Brendan’s comments. I know he is a better person than this…there are few people in the garage who are nicer. But just because you are nice doesn’t excuse you when you open your mouth and insert your foot.
Team owner Rusty Wallace is no happier about last weekend’s comments than I am apparently. He reportedly told Berry "I hope to God you didn't do what they said you did."
Wallace, for his part, was to have a team meeting on Friday night to lay down the law on this kind of thing, with the effect of if he ever heard a member of the team did such a thing, they wouldn’t need to wait of r a NASCAR penalty…Rusty would deal with it on his own.
I understand that name calling and taunts are a part of the sport. However, there is a line that you should not cross when you start tossing out such taunts, and racial slurs are part of that line.
The document which laid the groundwork for this country of ours clearly states “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
That applies to NASCAR as well, and everyone, from the head of NASCAR to the newest fan, should keep that in mind as we move forward into a more diverse era of our sport.
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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