BLOG: Poor Decisions Tarnish NASCAR

Okay, first I want to say that I am very excited to have the opportunity to write for ARN and give my two cents worth on the headlines of the sport.  I have been waiting for the last couple of days to find just the right topic to start with.  Well then over the last week or so there have been multiple stories out there that are making me shake my head, and even feel a little disgusted.  Before I start I want to say that I am not perfect, and I make my share of mistakes, but I am also not in a professional sport where millions of dollars are spent, received, etc, and where people, children and adults alike look up to you, want to BE YOU.  When I think of the professional sports out there, NFL, MLB, NBA, etc., all have a strong following.  But to me NASCAR is the “Family Sport”.  That shows from the fans, to the family standing next to the car with their daddy getting ready to race, the charities that are supported by NASCAR, to the National Anthem and the prayer before the race every weekend.

I want to first talk about the situation with Travis Kvapil.  He gets arrested for domestic violence, and false imprisonment.  I don’t care who you are, domestic violence is not okay.  And when NASCAR and his team let him race after his arrest, I was furious.  I believe that there must have been enough evidence there for the arrest.  And due to the circumstances of the arrest, I feel that at the very least his team owners should have looked at the big ugly picture, and found another driver to put in that race car in Charlotte.  Sponsors spend ALOT of money. and when you as a business are paying to have your brand on a car, you expect that your driver is going to act accordingly.  Not beat is wife, allegedly.  If I was Burger King, or Dr. Pepper,  I would have been on the horn so fast to BK Racing letting them know if they put Travis in that car, that they can take the stickers off, and kiss the money goodbye.  Doesn’t Travis have a morality clause in his contract?

We always hear about NASCAR’s Code of Conduct….doesn’t this violate that?  I mean you use a curse word and you are fined for violating the Code of Conduct.  But you are arrested for domestic violence and that doesn’t?  I am not saying fire him (yet).  But take him out of the car until the legal issues are settled.  Oh, and BK Racing….I know it was probably already planned, but after Travis gets arrested for DV, it looks a little more than hypocritical to put decals on the car for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  Just sayin’.

Here’s what Jimmie Johnson had to say about Travis’ situation: “It is pretty rare, I think that’s something that we all pride ourselves on, that we don’t have a lot of that drama in our sport. So I’m sure there is a negative impact to a small degree.”

Yes, there is  Jimmie.  I agree.

Okay, on to the next poor decision(s) that have been plaguing the sport we love so much.  Substance Abuse.  AJ had his issues last year.  And denied he violated the policy, and then sped through NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program.  Well it appears that the problem is way bigger than any of us thought in the garage.  My question is, what are they abusing?  For the crew members, is it something that these guys are taking to enhance their performance on race day, or is it something they are taking to work through the pain of an injury to stay on the team.  And a CREW CHIEF.  Wow.  Todd Parrott?  Really.  WOW.  I want to know what these guys are abusing.  Looks like the Road to Recovery program is going to be pretty full for a while.  These guys got suspended.

With regard to Todd Parrott, I agree with how Richard Petty Motorsports handle the situation.  Here’s their statement on Todd’s dirty test:

“We have an expectation of all RPM employees to conduct themselves at the highest level of professionalism and within the competitive confines as set forth by NASCAR.  We are very disappointed that one of our employees did not meet our expectations and we completely support NASCAR, their policies and final decisions when it comes to the substance abuse policy.”

Right on.

I know that these two situations are very different.  Being under the influence of a substance puts lives in danger on the track.  But I think that abusing your wife deserves the same punishment.  Suspension at least.  Boys.  Go handle your business.  Get the help you need.  Whether it is for substance abuse, or anger management, don’t make the sport of NASCAR look bad.  It’s embarrassing as a fan.  And I can only imagine how the fans of the teams that have been affected feel.

I want to be proud of my sport, not have mug shots, arrests, and dirty drug tests tarnishing what NASCAR has worked so hard to achieve.  A family sport.