Wednesday, April 22, 2009 | 10:29 p.m.
Every time NASCAR places a Sprint Cup driver on probation, I’m reminded of the scene from “Animal House”, where the fraternity hoodlums are placed on “double secret probation.” There’s something that sounds ridiculous about placing star athletes in one of the most popular sports in the country on probation.
Nevertheless, what other options would NASCAR have? How else can NASCAR send a message to drivers that they can’t use their cars as weapons during the cool-down lap or on pit road? Obviously the infraction wasn’t serious enough to risk angering a sponsor by sitting the drivers out for a race. Imposing a fine or a reduction in points would also have been extreme in this case since, in this season, it was a first-time offense.
I image that I would be tempted to respond the same way Dale Jr. and Casey Mears reacted if I were behind the wheel of 3,400 pounds of steel, had a helmet on and were very angry. And, considering the year Dale Jr. is having, I bet some of his overall frustration was coming out in the altercation with Mears. What happened to the days when drivers got out of their cars, took off their helmets and confronted each other man to man?
I know there are fans who think NASCAR is being politically correct in using the probation technique, but if this had been a verbal altercation after the race or if they had traded a little paint during the race, NASCAR would have been less inclined to take action. But in this instance the sanctioning body felt it had to send a message that actions like these on pit road have the potential to be unsafe.
Is this resulting in a more sanitized NASCAR? No. Overly polite, corporate-speak by drivers and a lack of hard, fender-grinding racing are what sanitize the sport. NASCAR has also loosened up on taking action regarding colorful displays by drivers. Bumping and banging is part of the sport, but this case was about stopping behavior before it escalated into something that could be unsafe.
Hey, it’s not called the cool-down lap for nothing.
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