I’m Just Sayin’: Kudos to Busch For Being Good Teammate

1

By Jared Turner

After getting knocked out of the way by teammate Carl Edwards on the last lap of Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400, Kyle Busch had every reason to be miffed and even downright mad. But if Busch was ticked at his teammate, he did a really good job of hiding it. Asked about the last-lap contact, the reigning Sprint Cup Series champion all but avoided the question, instead praising his team and the speed in his No. 18 Toyota. It was classy move for a driver who as recently as a few weeks ago threw an all-out temper tantrum and even accused NASCAR of fixing races when he lost a NASCAR XFINITY Series race after giving up the lead on the final lap.

NASCAR should be ashamed

NASCAR’s decision to levy a $35,000 fine against Tony Stewart within hours of the three-time champion announcing his return from a back injury might be the most ludicrous move ever made by the sport’s top brass. Talk about poor timing. It is simply beyond belief that NASCAR is so thin-skinned that it would overshadow Stewart’s widely celebrated return by fining him for making comments that called into question the wisdom of the sport’s policy on lug nuts. Stewart’s criticism, of course, is not without merit. It is indeed dangerous and borderline insane for NASCAR not to require teams to tighten all five lug nuts on each wheel during a pit stop. Hats off to several of Stewart’s fellow drivers for chipping in to pay his fine – a clear sign that they agree with the absurdity of the ruling against him. While NASCAR has since said it is looking into the controversial lug nut rule, this whole debate is nonsense. Given the number of tire issues this year, it’s absolutely nuts that NASCAR doesn’t already require all lug nuts to be tightened. Stewart was merely pointing out the obvious, which NASCAR apparently couldn’t handle.