After watching enough racing today to get myself to Florida (if I happened to be driving the equivalent distances of the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600) I find myself with lots to say, but to say it all in one entry would be nuts so I will be talking about this weekend for the next few postings.
I'm going to continue where I left off on my last posting about "Busch Whackers". Tony Stewart participated in Saturday's Busch Race and wrecked, injuring himself in the process. Then he raced again on Sunday and wrecked again, injuring himself even further. Did his injury in the Busch race play a role in his injury tonight? We have to wait and see the official announcement, but I'm sure it did. How could it not? Now if you were his primary sponsor in Cup (Home Depot) would you want him to continue to race in the Busch series with Old Spice at the risk of injury and not being able to drive his Cup car to the best of his abilities, or worse yet not being able to drive at all? No! Remember what happened to him at Talladega two weeks ago? He flipped while driving the Old Spice car in the Busch Race. If I were Home Depot I would have been seriously concerned at that point, what if he were seriously injured and could not drive the next day? Now after today, I would get Tony out of the Old Spice car as soon as possible. Home Depot puts out the big bucks to have him in the Home Depot #20 Chevy Monte Carlo not someone else who is filling in for him because he got injured driving another car in another series.
Its about the dollars. Tony is driving the Old Spice car for the sponsorship dollars, not for the practice. The man is a 2 time Cup Champion, he doesn't need seat time. Home Depot and other major sponsors should have clauses in their contracts with Cup drivers limiting the driver's participation in other motorsport series. Hockey players have similar contracts. A friend of mine who was under contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs and playing for their AHL (American Hockey League) team wasn't allowed to play hockey in the off-season unless he was working with club acknowledged coaches. He couldn't even play on my softball team in case he got injured and would not be able to play for the Leaf organization come hockey season. Other professional leagues have similar clauses with their athletes (i.e. not allowed to drive a motorcycle) why not NASCAR drivers?
This would also solve the problem of Cup drivers invading the Busch Series - you can't be a Busch Whacker if you aren't allowed to race.
Also, I would like to thank the men and women in the United States who so bravely gave up their lives to fight for freedom and democracy in the world. Your actions have not gone unoticed by others in the world, even though at times it seems so. Have a good Memorial Day Weekend and Thank-you.
From your friends in Canada.