MIXED BLESSINGS
Attention from brawl between drivers a double-edged sword
NASCAR gets attention, but maybe for wrong reasons.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kyle Busch had a gash on his forehead and blood running down his nose when he promised payback to Joey Logano. The two had a brief post-race pit road brawl that can be seen on TMZ, the “Today Show” and, really, just about anywhere.
The tussle shoved NASCAR into the watercooler talk Monday alongside the NCAA Tournament, and the reason why should be a wake-up call to every stakeholder in the stagnant sport because, like it or not, Busch getting pummeled by Logano’s crew is the lasting memory of the race.
NASCAR can make any format change under the sun, try gimmicks, slick marketing or the Monster Energy Girls, but its mainstream audience wants drama. Only racing fans know that a late caution nearly cost Martin Truex Jr. the win, that Brad Keselowski lost the race because of a car part failure and that his disabled race car likely led to the Busch-Logano brouhaha.
All of this is both a dream come true and a nightmare.
NASCAR doesn’t want to be known for brawling, and its drivers don’t particularly enjoy the scrutiny and/or punishment that comes from bad behavior. But this sport desperately needs rivalries, and nothing gets people talking like a bloodied face after a race.
NASCAR decied Wednesday not to punish either driver.
“The emotions of our athletes run high, and Kyle Busch and Joey Logano are two of the most passionate and competitive drivers in the sport,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president. “Both competitors are very clear on our expectations going forward and we will be meeting with them in person prior to practice on Friday in Phoenix.”
The Busch-Logano bout Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway happened in the pits.
Busch felt that Logano wrecked him as the two raced for position past Keselowski’s slowed car, so he sped down pit road, leaving the bulk of his Joe Gibbs Racing crew behind, and sought out Logano. When he found his former teammate, Busch went in swinging.
Logano insists he wasn’t hit, video is inconclusive, but Busch walking into a group of Team Penske employees was a recipe for disaster. It was the Penske crew members who pulled Busch away, got him to the ground and, in that scrum, bloodied his head.
Roger Penske has said his employees are there to defuse those situations — his drivers, Logano and Keselowski, have had their share of confrontations — but the only defusing came from one employee who forcefully pulled Logano out of the fray. Most everyone else on the scene seemed all too eager to get their hands on Busch and that’s a problem for NASCAR. These are not situations where the crew should get involved. Ultimately, it was a pair of NASCAR employees who pulled Busch from the pile.
Keselowski, who was punched in the face by Jeff Gordon in a 2014 scrum, noted the issue.
“Fighting in Motorsport is dumb,” Keselowski tweeted. “It always turns into a pile and your own guys hit each other. At least in hockey they are good at it.”
Well, the NHL actually is trying to curb fighting, but Keselowski’s point is valid. Driver disputes must be policed by NASCAR, not the teams.
NASCAR chairman Brian France seemed to think everything will be taken care of because there’s precedent. Although Busch vowed to exact revenge, France believes the 2015 blowback from a long-running feud between Busch teammate Matt Kenseth and Logano will put an end to possible payback.
“There will be no retaliation,” France told Sirius Radio. “That will not be happening. That’s not going to happen anyway. The drivers understand what we did a couple of years ago at Martinsville (suspending Kenseth two races for wrecking Logano), that is unacceptable.
“So what happens on the track, good or for bad for one driver or another, that’s where it stays, and we move on to the next event.”
We’ll see. This incident certainly hasn’t hurt NASCAR, and a little bad blood could really liven up an otherwise slow start to the season.