Even though Regan Smith won Saturday's Southern 500, in what was possibly the upset of the decade, there was another big story line following his shocking win. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch have developed a little bit of a history as of late. Last season at Homestead, Harvick stuffed Busch's #18 into the wall for racing him too hard early on. Kyle's car subsequently caught fire, ending his bid for the victory. This feud was rekindled Saturday night in the closing laps when Kyle ran Harvick's #29 up to the wall. Harvick retaliated by bumping Busch's car going into turn three. Then all hell broke loose when Clint Bowyer made it three wide with the 18 and 29 off turn four, causing a big wreck and allowing Busch the opportunity to dump the 29.
All the fireworks looked to be over and the race restarted like any other. Regan Smith went on to win and the other drivers pulled to pit road while Smith's #78 went for a victory lap. But the 18 and 29 had other ideas. Harvick pulled onto pit road ahead of Busch, parked it, got out and walked towards the 18. But Kyle had other ideas. Since he claims that he lost reverse gear (which is baloney because he backed his car up to get onto pit road) he decided to grab first gear instead and drive through the idling Budweiser Chevy, sending it into pit wall. (Harvick barley got his fist in the window too. What a jip!) Both drivers and their owners were summoned to the Nascar trailer to meet with officials while their crews nearly came to blows outside Busch's trailer. Afterwards, both drivers said that not much was discussed and that this was not over just yet.
Well this is definitely what Nascar was going for when they said "Boys, have at it" last January. At least that's what any normal fan would think. The sanctioning body announced today, that both drivers have been fined $25,000 and placed on probation (which for those who don't know is the equivalent of a slap on the wrist and being told "Now don't do that again". It doesn't mean much of anything). Far from the points penalties and suspensions that were discussed in the media and the message boards since then. I give Nascar credit because they are staying consistent. They haven't yet penalized anyone all that severely for showing a little emotion on the track. This is exactly what the sport needs. We need the drivers to show they are passionate about what they do and that they aren't going to take any crap. In the 60s and 70s, we saw David Pearson and Richard Petty. In the 80s and 90s, we saw Dale Earnhardt and.... well.... pretty much everyone else. Recently we've seen Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski go at it. This Harvick-Busch feud could be the next in a long line of big name rivalries.
But the other thing that Nascar needs to do is draw a line in the sand. A little paint swapping and maybe a few shoves in the garage afterwards are fun and exciting, but these recent feuds have escalated into full scale wars. With what happened on pit road Saturday, seeing that unmanned #29 car careen into pit wall was a little scary. If a crewman had been walking by they could have been seriously injured, or worse. Last season, when Edwards and Keselowski went at it, some pretty wild things happened as well. Edwards retaliated at Atlanta for previous contact Brad had made earlier by dumping BK's #12 down the frontstrech, turning him backwards at 185 miles an hour and sending his car airborne. The drivers side of the roof was crushed and the #12 Dodge was terrifyingly close to going into the stands. Keselowski walked away.
Later in the season, in a Nationwide race at Gateway, Carl and Brad battled for the lead on the final lap. Brad nudged Carl up the track in turn one, a perfectly acceptable move going for the win late in a race. Typical Carl flew off the handle and retaliated again by turning Keselowsi's #22 Dodge in front of the field. The car was destroyed beyond recognition and the onboard camera showed Brad being jarred around like a rag doll in the car. Edwards went on to win. These wrecks were not "Boys have at it". They were "flagrant fowls", to quote Kyle Petty, and deserved something along the line of a one race suspension.
Don't get me wrong, I love this new all or nothing, checkers or wreckers style of racing. "Boys have at it" has been nothing but good for the sport. It has produced some of the most exciting racing we've seen in years. Seeing drivers beat and bang for the win and then maybe take a few swings afterwards is just plain exciting! Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon shoving each other after a wreck on the backstrech at Texas last season was one of the highlights of the season! But for the good of the drivers and crews, Nascar needs to say how far is too far. With the removal of the rear wing from the cars early last season, we have probably seen the last of cars flying though the air. But what if somebody had walked past that unmanned #29 car on Saturday? Nascar didn't suspend Carl at Atlanta, they didn't suspend Kyle Busch for his "flagrant fowl" this weekend. There needs to be a line in the sand. I wouldn't be surprised to see the 18 and 29 cars find each other during this Sunday's race in Dover. In fact, I can hardly wait until they do to see where this whole thing is headed! It's going to be exciting! But it needs to be settled on the track or in the garage. Leave the innocent bystanders out of it.
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