Mike Helton Cries Like a Baby
In response to a report over a recent firing of a NASCAR official, Mike Helton is not only pissed but seems to believe censorship is the best way to handle a bad situation.
Via That’s Racin Apparently not everyone in NASCAR is enamored with the “NASCAR Nation.”The daily news-magazine show on Speed Channel broadcast a segment Thursday night recounting news reports of the departure of a Busch Series official in relation to the disqualification of Johnny Sauter’s Busch car at Texas for a illegal carburetor.
On-air talent also attempted to ask Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president for competition, to comment on reports on the incident, including one from The Charlotte Observer and ThatsRacin.com.
NASCAR President Mike Helton was not pleased with the report and made his feelings clear in a heated discussion with Chris Long, Speed’s vice president of studio production, sources confirmed Friday.
Speed Channel spokesman Erik Arneson said NASCAR officials believed the show reported the ousting of official Woody Neese, but were informed later Neese’s departure was attributed to a Charlotte Observer/ThatsRacin.com report during the segment.
Arneson said he was not aware of any other problems.
NASCAR officials had other misgivings with the program’s segment, and were vocal in expressing their disgust that the show addressed the issue in the first place, sources said.
Asked for a response, NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said, “It would serve no purpose for us to comment on that.”
What’s the next story we read? Helton storming into the Charlotte Observer sports editor’s office.
I smell a much larger story that is being buried by Helton and Hunter. With all the controversy created by expunging the records of Sauter and his team at the Texas event, common sense dictates a free flow of information. Yet the president of the sanctioning body not only doesn’t explain why the guilty official was fired but is pissed word leaked out.
Then makes a fool of himself by accusing the wrong media outlet for leaking the story. I smell a very large rat and a story that’s far from over.
” Yet the president of the sanctioning body not only doesn
“From everything I
You didn’t say they were the one in the same but you did say the guilty official was fired. Just what was he guilty of? Finding the illegal carburetor or not finding it?
Well gee, it doesn’t take an intellectual genius to understand the issue is not whether he was fired for finding, or not finding the illegal part. The issue is why the secrecy and why is the head of the organization berating a media outlet for publishing the story.
And to assist what must be a lack of, well, lets call it “understanding,” I never said he was fired. Note that section is in blockquotes. Quoted from Thats Racin. They said it not me.
But you knew that right?