Full Throttle

So much for Penske Racing’s Kurt Busch showing his new found “maturity.”

That lasted all of what, a year and a half, give or take?

Busch has had a long list of transgressions both on and off the track. After his run-in with the “Meanest Sheriff in the West” Joe Arpaio and subsequent firing by Roush Racing he’s been on the straight and narrow even while suffering through a forgettable first season in a Penske Dodge.

Of late he and Penske teammate Ryan Newman have been the lone bright lights for the Dodge Boys so far in a season that has been all Hendrick all the time.

I’m relatively sure, and had the inclination to do so, I could find plenty of places around the forums and blogs where both Stewart and Busch are being excoriated along partisan lines and frankly who the hell cares. Step aside and let those “children” play.

A black paved oval (or concrete) brings with it every opportunity for events that occurred Monday between Stewart and Busch. Close competition demands it to a certain extent, someone will always tag a bumper too hard or dive into a turn too deep and push another into a fence.

Boys will be boys in most cases and the “getting even” will happen in the next few laps or in the following weeks.

Seeking retribution on track is one thing, deliberately entering pitroad with the expressed purpose of exacting revenge - at the expense of a pit crewman having to perform a Michele Kwan-like a triple Axel to avoid being crushed - is so far out of line it could, NO would be called criminal if occurring on Mainstreet outside a speedway.

A race driver who flirts with death each time he/she straps on a 200mph machine knows better than anyone on the planet he’s at the controls of a deadly weapon. A simple fact Busch set aside for a moment, a potentially deadly moment.

The NASCAR Police in the form of the race stewards immediately parked the #2 for the remainder of the event relegating Busch to a 42^nd place finish. With more to follow after the prerequisite review of the tapes and 40 cups of coffee while sitting at a overly expensive mahogany table.

With the race delayed to Monday the usual Tuesday morning penalty announcements in all probably will not be released until Wednesday or later. When it’s released it should be very interesting how NASCAR handles it.

If “jet fuel” or a CORN wing that has been tinkered with is worth 100 points and $100,000 dollars what is aggravated assault, or worst case manslaughter in the 2nd degree, while using a ton-and-a-half car as your weapon worth?

I’m thinking another week on the bench for the #2, and not just the driver, leave the car and its transporter to cool off in the Carolina’s while NASCAR’s Circus road trips to the Pocono Mountains this coming week.