of comment regarding a couple of items that are in the news for us. One of the comments is in respect to a lawsuit that was filed on Tuesday and a subsequent investigation we have under way to review those claims that were made. I think I mentioned earlier in the week that the most disappointing thing to me is that we found out about the alleged claims after you did in the media via a national lawsuit that seeks a lot of money.
MM: Just come out and say NA$CAR is being sued for sexual harassment and race discrimination. God forbid somebody should have lots of money other than you. But even after shelling out $255 million to settle the suit, you’ll still have lots of shiny new pennies to play with in the Royal Bank Vault. And if you had nipped this in the bud earlier on, this wouldn’t have happened. You preach about what a success the Diversity Program is and yet any fan can tell you it’s a sham. This is the problem when your Court Jesters are all “Yes Men”. Get somebody with some testicular fortitude in there for a change who isn’t afraid to voice their opinions and let you know when you’re wrong. God knows myself and millions of other race fans have tried and haven't done any good.
KB: That’s very disappointing, because if any of those claims turn out to be accurate and have substance, we would have liked to have known about that two years ago so that we could have reacted and done something about it. It is inconsistent with anything from a policy standpoint of how a work environment for our officials should be. It is not consistent with anything - our values or what have you.
MM: Well you better fasten your seat belt Your Highness because apparently the claims are true as stated in an article in Sports Illustrated. And if they weren’t true, why did you place two individuals who are named in the lawsuit as wrongdoers on paid administrative leave?
KB: I would tell you the most disappointing thing that all of times that this plaintiff, Miss Grant, had in her time at NASCAR through diversity and sexual harassment seminars and training - where our human resources people were explaining as we always do multiple times during the year what our policy is and how the environment needs to be. Everybody signs that and understands that and abides by that.
MM: Obviously folks didn’t take the training seriously because if they had, you wouldn’t be in this boat you’re in right now Your Highness. And based on what Miss Grant stated in her court documents, she apparently did try complaining up the chain of command and got “stomped on”, figuratively speaking, for doing so.
KB: To have never, ever raised it other than in a lawsuit is disappointing to us. Nevertheless, we have started an investigation -we’re under way. We are treating in very seriously as we would when we have these types of investigations. With thousands of employees and the nature of our business we’re going to have claims that are made from time to time. It’s not uncommon for us. We investigate every one of these kind of claims very thoroughly and we will continue to do that.
MM: Besides needing to learn how to speak as a public speaker, you have missed the point Your Majesty. She appears to have raised the issue and attempted to do so IAW proper procedure. That tells me that there’s something wrong in your chain of command. Like the smell of rotting fish or an open septic tank. Or the diaper, I mean Depends you’ve been wearing for several weeks.
KB: That is it on that topic and happy to take any questions
Press Peasant: There’s a story on the wire today that two of the people involved or named in the lawsuit have been suspended as part of the investigation obviously. Can you comment on that?
KB: In our investigation we have put two officials on a leave of absence until we can complete more details and complete the investigation fully. That is correct. The two people have left for the weekend. (The Nationwide Series was scheduled to race Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway.)
MM: They only left for the weekend or they’ve been put on a leave of absence until the lawsuit and investigation are complete? There’s a big difference between the two.
Press Peasant: Was there a meeting (Friday) with officials in the (Cup and Truck series) garages here in Michigan as well as the investigation going on in Kentucky?
KB: There was. We wanted to remind everyone about our policy. Everyone should be familiar, should be aware of how to conduct themselves and their behavior. But, obviously, we wanted to make sure once again of exactly what NASCAR’s policy is in terms of behavior in either harassment or certainly in racial discrimination of any kind. That was the nature of those two reviews with our officials.
MM: Not to mention the no notice meeting with the drivers to tell them to sit down and shut up about the Uni-Car, Can of Tuna, Car of Tedium, Camry of Today, or whatever else you want to call it. Or was that also addressed in the meeting that no one from the media was allowed into. Obviously by setting the standards, you weren’t talking about spilling “sodas” or attacking defenseless palm trees with your car.
Press Peasant: What did you discover in your investigation in Kentucky that led to the two officials on leave?
KB: The investigation is still ongoing. Obviously we found some violations in our policy. I would not jump to conclusions to assume that all the allegations that were made over the many months that the plaintiff made are accurate. I would be very, very cautious to making that leap of faith even if we were to take action on any official in this investigation. We might discover something entirely different that may have been going on that had nothing to do with the claim in the lawsuit but still is a violation of our policy.
That would get you in trouble with us. That’s the nature of investigations. They go on and we’re very detailed. We’re bringing in everybody that we can find to give us the information of what is going on so we can be very clear in our findings.
MM: If you found some violations, why are these folks still on the company payroll? They should’ve been fired. I guess you have a zero tolerance policy with this like you do the substance abuse program with the drivers. How many times did Shane Hmeil get his license back? And by your own admission Your Majesty, at least some of the allegations are true based on your own statement. “Obviously we found some violations in our policy.” That alone tells me that there is a basis of truth to at least one of the allegations.
Press Peasant: What does this do to the relatively clean reputation the sport has had? Is that reputation sliding?
KB: I wouldn’t characterize it as a sliding at all. We are a big sport with lots of participants at lots of different levels. The idea that everybody is going to act and behave perfectly is just not a reality that any of us lives in. Our job is to make sure that we have really good work policies in place and to react very swiftly if our policies are violated.
We’re going to do that. We found out about this, as you know, on Tuesday with the filing of the suit. By Thursday we were in full investigative mode. We didn’t wait. Some of these claims go back two years or longer.
MM: Considering you live in your own reality (I know what’s best for the sport, insert sound of car crashing into a palm tree), you probably expect everything to be hunky dory and that everyone will behave like good little boys and girls. Time for a wake up call Your Highness. This is the real world, not your fantasy world. Your "car" just slid into the wall of reality and it's not a SAFER barrier. The only policies you act swiftly on is to jack up ticket prices or to slap a penalty or fine on somebody who upsets the Royal Ego. Not to mention place blame on everyone but yourself when something goes wrong. As soon as you found out about the lawsuit, you should’ve been in full investigative mode, not waiting a couple of days.
KB: Here again, it’s very disappointing that would not have been brought to our attention if these claims actually happened that the would have been brought to our attention right when they happened so we could have investigated it right then and taken any action we needed to. And it didn’t happen. It just didn’t happen. She chose to make this about money and about a lawsuit and we’ll deal with that.
MM: Based on the deposition Your Majesty, Miss Grant appears to have brought it to peoples attention only to have it ignored. And if it didn’t happen, then why did you put two of the officials named in the lawsuit on administrative leave with pay? Not exactly the act of somebody or some business entity without guilt. Money is the only thing that gets your attention of King of the Short Attention Span Crowd. Or did you forget that already? I mean being King of the Short Attention Span crowd.
Press Peasant: In the course of the investigation you’ve done over the past few days you’ve talked to supervisors that Miss Grant says she reported this information to. In your subsequent investigation after you found out about it have you found any instances where her complaints might have not gotten up the chain as far as they needed to. Do you know what I’m asking?
KB: I know what you are asking. So far - she just didn’t report anything to anybody. Quite the opposite, she was very pleased with her colleagues, most of the comments that we have heard is she liked her job, enjoyed being there and liked the camaraderie with the other officials. We just have not found anyone that she reported the claim (to). Even if we have not found it yet… There’s a very clear process you go through if there is any discrimination or harassment. Everybody in the company knows what it is and they have been trained to observe it and make sure that the proper officials within the company are notified. You could pull me (aside)-any employee who has an issue can e-mail me directly or certainly go to human resources. There are dozens of ways to report such an incident and it just didn’t get reported.
MM: It’s pretty obvious she reported something to somebody or else you wouldn’t be in panic mode right now. All it takes is one person in the chain of command to stop the process from going any further and it would never get to the attention of Human Resources much less become a bothersome thing for the Royal Personage.
Press Peasant: Will you hesitate to settle the lawsuit out of fear that it could spark other lawsuits of a similar kind?
KB: We can’t comment on the developments of litigation. Lawsuits are lawsuits and we’ll deal with that within the court system.
MM: You bet you’ll hesitate. To settle immediately would be an admission of guilt in the court of public opinion. You’ll hire some sharp “legal eagles” who specialize in these sorts of cases and have them do everything they have to do to stop it, appeal it, or postpone making payment on it for as long as possible if the courts rule against you.
Press Peasant: Could you tell us why (the official who filed the lawsuit) was terminated eventually?
King Brian: We don’t divulge that information on any employee so I can’t tell you that.
MM: Somebody in your camp divulged why she was fired. That alone will be a strike against your case. It’s also illegal to disclose why they were fired.
Press Peasant: What does this do to the diversity efforts you and NASCAR have made? Does it affirm a perception that may be held outside the sport that NASCAR is a white guy’s sport?
KB: Would we like to not have had a suit filed that makes these kinds of claims? Of course. Would we really have liked to been able to investigate it when these incidents occurred? You bet.
But we have to deal with what we have to deal with. The only thing I will say is that as all of the facts ultimately get on the table is not to jump to conclusions about what actually happened. That’s why we do investigations that’s why we do reviews. We will get to the bottom of it and hopefully nobody will jump to an improper conclusion.
MM: You bet you would’ve liked to have investigated the accusations. However, it’s like closing the barn door after the horse is gone at this point. Had somebody in the chain of command done their job properly, you wouldn’t be having this problem right now. You should be grateful Johnny Cochran isn’t pulling a Lazarus act right now. “If the lugs don’t fit, you must acquit” or something along those lines.
Press Peasant: King Brian her representation is pulling no punches in this thing at all. There was a statement issued recently where here representation said yes they (NASCAR) have a zero tolerance policy something of the line zero tolerance for women zero tolerance for blacks etc. What is your response to her representation coming out and saying those types of things?
KB: Well, anybody can say anything that you want and hire a PR firm and do all the things that anybody wants to do and say whatever they want. That’s just completely inconsistent with anything that goes on in NASCAR. It’s not the NASCAR that we are building and I would obviously disagree with her.
MM: In other words, they can do the exact same things you’ve done to prove that you rule with absolute authority, to change the written history of the sport and hide its’ roots, to change time honored traditions, hype and promote one driver over another, and prove that your Racing Edsel is the greatest invention since chewing gum and sliced bread. In other words, hire a professional who’s good at spreading bovine excreta to make things looks pretty and green even though they stink like your diaper, I mean Depends.
Press Peasant: King Brian, perception is reality, can you paint the picture that (you see) is NASCAR right now out on pit road and in the garage?
KB: Well it’s a sport that is evolving and a sport that is reaching out in lots of different ways to be more diverse and not because it’s a socially good idea. It’s a good idea for a whole host of different reasons. It’s an American sport we need to look and feel more like America. You know the many different initiatives that we have from driver diversity where drivers are getting a chance who otherwise wouldn’t have. Crew members, internship programs, the tracks are doing an enormous amount they are trying to attract a new audience and I have helped lead it for a number of years. We’re never happy because we haven’t reached all our goals. But we’re happy with our approach, the road we’re on and what we stand for. You’ve heard me many times and you as the media you know things that were in that claim were absolutely and completely inconsistent with where this sport is going.
MM: Evolving? Since Your Highness took over, it’s been devolving. To keep it simple for you Your Majesty, it’s going backwards. You’ve tried to turn it into a one size fits all neat and sanitary PC product that‘s loved from coast to coast. It’s never been that. It’s been about drivers who speak their peace. Guys beating and banging on each other out on the track and back in the garage area. It’s about guys who talk with a strange drawl or a weird accent. It’s about the Bubbas and Bubbettes who have followed this sport long before you were even a gleam in your daddy’s eyes. It’s about the fans who were around when you were filling your diapers. Oops, sorry, you’re still doing that. It’s about underdogs having their day. It’s many things, none of which are yours or your visions.
The door has been open for minorities for a while now. It takes money to get into this sport and to stay in it. You’ve had minority owners who didn’t succeed within the last 20 years. You’ve had a great minority driver you just ignored. There are
great minority members on various crews
through out the garage that you choose to ignore
because they don't give you any publicity or
hype value. You have just missed the boat and
are trying to play catch up by trying to force feed
this program down the throats of the fans,
drivers, team owners, and the minorities
themselves. While the sport may need to grow,
trying to force feed it to people who aren’t
interested is backfiring on you. It has turned off
these potential fans and alienated the existing
fan base of long time, hard core race fans.
You’re even alienating the fans you sought to
replace the long time hard core fans with. In
simple terms, you’re just continuing to screw the
pooch on a daily basis because of your vision.
Might I suggest a good optometrist or laying off the “sodas” for a while since we don‘t know exactly what your vision problems are caused by.
While this isn’t the full transcript, it’s the best I could find for now. I’d like to give credit to Claire B. Lang for what she published from the press conference.
To the Marine Reservist of the 2nd Battalion 25th Marine Regiment who are preparing to deploy to Iraq in September, thank you for all that you’re doing and for all the sacrifices that you, your friends, and loved ones are making for us here.
Motherhood, Apple Pie, and John Wayne
Mad Mikie
Curmudgeon at Large
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