Don't suspend Kyle Busch

    Driving 128 mph in a 45-mph zone is absurd. Driving 83 mph above the speed limit is tough to fathom. But NASCAR star Kyle Busch did that Tuesday in a Lexus sports car he test drove.

     My colleague and friend Scott Fowler wrote a strong piece in today's Observer in which he advocates that Busch's boss, Joe Gibbs, suspend the driver.

     I disagree.

     Would your boss suspend you for a blantant road violation? I don't know if mine would, and I prefer not to find out.

      I understand Scott's logic. Yet as foolish as Busch was, I contend the act doesn't merit a suspension.

       Just as church and state are theoretically separated, so is what an employee does at work and away from it.

        Busch has a apologized, and that's just a warm-up.

        Gibbs and NASCAR should demand that Busch be, or at least pretend to be, contrite. They should demand that he take an active role in convincing lesser drivers to joyride at lesser speeds. They should demand that he donate time and money to a speeding awareness campaign, or an organization that works with victims of speeding.

         Beyond that, let the law determine his punishment.

     And in the meantime, let him drive his race car on the track.

 

 

 

    

Comments

[Ben Loddin]

Your boss probably would not suspend you for a road violation b/c you don't drive for a living. If your boss told you not to write an article on a certain matter, and you did anyways, then you, Tom, may get suspended.

This jack-leg was driving almost 3x the speed limit. I'm pretty sure that warrants taking his license away....and with no drivers license = no racing. No racing = no money. No money = Joe Gibbs being pretty pissed off. Dont ya think??

I hope he doesn't race again, period. But we'll see how our courts handle this matter....a slap on the hand wouldn't surprise me at all. And that's pretty sad.

I sure hope you wouldn't have written this article had he injured/killed somone during his little joy ride.

[Dave]

As a minimum, this jerk should get a permanent revocation of his driver's license. Total disregard for safety of others. Granted if this happens, he would not be able to drive. Joe could add him to the pit crew. I bet he can change tires and clean windshields.
What a wonderful role model for our teens!!!

[appstategrad2008]

Just to clarify, though, Kyle Busch doens't need a driver's license to drive in NASCAR. It's a rule many don't know about.

I do have to side with Scott on this one, though. These people are heavily in the public eye and an example must be made of Kyle Busch after this incident. The reasoning you use to say Busch shouldn't be suspended doesn't even really translate across other sports. If a player from the NFL and NBA do something (even some of the more minor transgressions), they typically have consequences. Gibbs/NASCAR should do the right thing and suspend Kyle Busch (at least for this weekend).

[Reporter of the Obvious]

Idiot! This guy races for a living so he knows the risks and dangers of driving at high speeds intricately so this is not just a normal speeding violation where someone was driving 20-30 miles over the speed limit. He was driving 83...EIGHTY THREE...miles over the posted speed limit in his little $400,000 test drive vehicle! You sir, are a complete idiot if you defend him from being suspended. Just another example of how lax and appeasing our society has become when we make excuses for "privileged" people such as entertainers, politicians, athletes, etc. KB's reality has become that he can do pretty much whatever the h3ll he wants to do and he'll get away with it because he can drive in a circle and makes millions of dollars...and people like Tom will be there to support him when he mixes fantasy (race track) with reality (public roads)!

[Keith]

Tom,

Kyle is a public figure and public figures live under different circumstances than you and I. Part of the price for celebrity is that his code of conduct extends well beyond his "job" as he represents and embodies the organization and sport that he "works" for. Poor conduct on his part is a direct reflection on Joe Gibbs Racing and NASCAR and therefore these organizations need to publicly show that the conduct of Kyle Busch is egregious and intolerable and that comes through a suspension or other punishment. No punishment is tantamount to the condoning of this conduct in the eyes of the public. Kyle lives and works under a different set of rules than you and I and he needs to publicly face the consequences of his actions in order for the public to "forgive" him.

[Stephanie]

He should have his license suspended...which would also mean no driving on the track.
No, my boss may not fire me for a speeding violation. However, this is not just your everyday speeding violation. This was an extreme idiotic careless choice that could have seriously hurt someone. He wasn't thinking about anyone else.
And the comment above is true, he drives for a living.
If they let him back on the track, like nothing happened, kids that look up to him (not sure why anyone would) think they can go do that and not be punished for it.
They'll think it's okay to go as fast as they want on the streets.
He will probably be able to buy his way out of this which is really sad.
Let him miss a few races, get way behind on points, and suffer the concequences of his actions.

[Chris]

I couldn't disagree more. As others stated, the man is a professional driver. He KNEW what he was doing.

If he had killed someone going that speed it would be an entirely diffferent story. Thank God he didn't. But let him get away with it THIS time... and next time just might kill an innocent person.

[GK]

Tom, you're an idiot. As a number of others have already stated, Kyle is a public figure and a role model, whether he wants to be or not. That's where your comparison of his actions to yourself or me completely falls apart. Neither of us are role models, nor do we have sponsors to answer to for our actions. If a police officer pulls over either one of us for going 83mph over the limit, we're probably getting hauled off in a cruiser instead of being sent on our merry way.

At the same time, he was abusing a sponsor's vehicle, given that Toyota supplied the Lexus LF-A he was piloting at the time. So, that not only flies in the face of their generosity to him, he also made the conscious decision that the laws governing our roadways don't apply to him either. If he wants to drive fast, he could probably afford to rent VIR just for himself to push the LF-A, instead of a country road in Iredell County.

He just knows he's above it all, he won't lose his license where both of us would, he won't be fined or penalized by NASCAR and won't be suspended by JGR.

But he should be.

[kj]

I believe that the punishment decision first should lie on the Police department. I dont care if you do drive fast for a living, what Busch did is uncalled for by anyone. He should know better. I also however do not agree that him loosing his license will not effect him being able to drive in any racing series. If you cant be responsible in a street car you should not be given the privilege to drive a race car. Period.

[digal704]

Really?

[John]

Come on Tom. I know that road. It is hilly with lots of suburban traffic. This was at 2 PM what would have happened had Mr Busch come over a hill at 128 mph only to find one of the many school buses on that road stopped in front of him? Disaster that's what. Do we really need another Bobby Phills to jog everyone's memory on how speed kills?

He should be punished as he was being so extremely reckless that it is mindboggling.

[Dale Jr.]

I wish I had the onions to drive that fast.

[George]

So this is supposed to be the "new" Kyle Busch!! The tiger has not changed his stripes.

BTW, I have traveled Perth Road numerous times; sure glad I wasn't there when BratBoy decided to turn it into his personal speedway.

He should definitely serve a suspension from NASCAR. His actions were definitely "proximately related to his employment" as a professional driver. Plus, according to the report I read online, his wife was a passenger in the car! What does she have to say about this incident.

[panthers world]

tom 4 words for you buddy, YOU ARE AN IDIOT..there you go, enough said..

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