did throw a well deserved punch at Busch but he did it in the Oval Office which isn’t cool. Here’s my problem with the whole deal. Why was Tony called to the hauler in the first place? Jim Hunter plainly stated that Tony’s running into the Brat was a racing incident. The Brat’s actions, on the other hand, were deliberate and uncalled for since his attempt to block Tony was the cause of the initial contact. The only reason I can see for the equal non punishment is the punch in the hauler which couldn’t have happened if Tony had been left alone and the truly guilty party called to task and properly punished.
Were it up to me, the Brat would have been sent home along with his car and team. He’d have been fined $250,000 and 150 points. His probation after that would have been the full season and his owner would have received the same penalty as an owner who countenances such behavior. Lest you’ve forgotten, this was practice, not racing to win the Daytona 500. This is just one more huge example of NA$CAR’s consistent inconsistency.
Don’t misunderstand me on this folks. Tony has fallen out of my favor for numerous reasons but wrong is wrong and NA$CAR is totally wrong on this one. As I mentioned in my previous article, I was just beginning to warm up to Kurt before this stunt. I foolishly had hopes that NAZICAR would start ruling with an even hand and using common sense. Sadly, common sense and NAZICAR are an oxymoron. Robin Pemberton foolishly stated that their on and off track actions were equal. Unless the punch was thrown in the Oval Office, as has been rumored, what did Tony do? Pemberton also stated that the decision was based on their aim of letting the drivers show more emotion. Excuse me while I clean up the keyboard after barfing all over it. It’s very difficult for this twenty one year Navy vet to not let loose with a string of expletives but I self censor for this family oriented site.
If you read the two postings on this site Tuesday you couldn’t help but notice that Mad Mikie and I had opposing views on the Bud Shootout. Just as with the above situation I find it amazing how two people can come away from the same situation with diametrically opposite views of what we observed. I’ve read numerous articles concerning what various columnists think they saw with the Busch/Stewart incident. I couldn’t believe how many think Tony deliberately rammed the Brat. What I saw was Tony going high and the Brat apparently attempting to block him high after he’d just blocked him low. Many wrote something entirely different but the replays I saw on the Speed Report and Inside Sprint Cup confirmed my original live observations. Once again, this was practice.
While this incident doesn’t equal what the Brat pulled on pit road at Dover, where crew members were endangered, it still doesn’t excuse NA$CAR letting him off that light and, excepting the possible thrown punch in the hauler, punishing Tony equally. As my Chinese philosopher so aptly puts it, “Sum ting wong.” If this is the new tone of NA$CAR I don’t like it.
While David Poole was once one of my must reads I haven’t found much lately where I fully agree with him. On Trading Paint I stood up and cheered when the obese one said what needed to be said, PARK HIM. No towing the NA$CAR line there.
One of my regular readers had the following take:
I just read about the punishment for them from
ROYAL JESTERS INC. They "BOTH" gets 6
race probations!!! Now I have heard just about
everyone say what happened on the track was
"just a racin' deal" So can anyone tell me why
they put to Tony!!!!! Sissy boy Busch was the
only one I saw hitting TONY’S car on pit road!!!!
So we start the New Year with the same old crap,
but I knew Sunday morn when they said they had
not decided what penalties to give out all was
lost. But I just keep a little bit of hope that
someday they "MIGHT" make a fair decision' just
not this week!!! I will say SISSY BOY was smart
enough to hit Tony with his car and not get out of his!!! It looked to me like Tony was trying to get his belts undone when Busch got around him and into the pits. Smart move on SISSY BOY'S part as I'm sure Tony would have cleaned his clock and very deservingly so!!!!!!! I was shocked when I saw David Poole on one of the nonstop talk shows Sun morn say that is his opinion they should
have tossed BUSCH for the weekend!!!! First time I've ever agreed with any thing he ever
said!!!! .......Keep up the good work guys there are only a few out there that still tell the TRUTH!!
I can only add, the only way I know is to tell it like it is as I see it. You’ll never find this author towing the company line for anyone. I’m writing this on short notice so, to my faithful readers, all my usual closing comments apply.
Be safe.
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